Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in St. Louis, MO-IL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Missouri tax rules.
The figures
The median Fast Food and Counter Workers in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earns $31,260 a year ($15.03 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in St. Louis, MO-IL earn between $30,780 and $34,260 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $29,470 or less and the top 10 percent earn $36,480 or more. BLS estimates 19,170 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL area — 14.296 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.58 (well below the national concentration). That is 0.5% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, St. Louis, MO-IL is the #25 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in St. Louis, MO-IL earn about $0.63 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $27,951.00 a year, so the aggregate take-home of St. Louis, MO-IL Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $0.54 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 8.7% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #16 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Fast Food and Counter Workers. By employment, Fast Food and Counter Workers is the #12 largest of the 30 covered occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the St. Louis, MO-IL median of $31,260 falls between the national median ($31,200) and the national 75th percentile ($36,070). Across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median is $49,990 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 37.5% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $15.77 | $32,800 |
| 10th percentile | $14.17 | $29,470 |
| 25th percentile | $14.80 | $30,780 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $15.03 | $31,260 |
| 75th percentile | $16.47 | $34,260 |
| 90th percentile | $17.54 | $36,480 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in St. Louis, MO-IL earn 1.2 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($36,480 against $29,470). The middle half spans $3,480 — from $30,780 to $34,260. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($17.54) is 1.24 times the 10th ($14.17). In the upper half of the St. Louis, MO-IL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $34,260 takes home $29,057.40 and the 90th percentile wage of $36,480 takes home $30,740.50 — $1,683.10 more net for $2,220 more gross. Against the median take-home of $26,784.10, the top decile keeps 1.15 times as much. The mean wage of $32,800 sits 4.9% above the median: higher-paid Fast Food and Counter Workers pull the average up in St. Louis, MO-IL. Among the 30 covered occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #29 by median pay. In the St. Louis, MO-IL wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits between Cashiers at $32,380 and Waiters and Waitresses at $31,200. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 1.4% of all employment in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; St. Louis, MO-IL employs 0.3 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Missouri
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Missouri; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $31,260.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,571.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $1,938.12 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $453.27 |
| Missouri income tax | $513.43 |
| Total deductions | $4,475.90 |
| Net pay (annual) | $26,784.10 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,030.16 |
| Total deduction rate | 14.32% of gross |
At the median, $26,784.10 of the $31,260 gross is kept ($1,030.16 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 14.32%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 13.72% at the 10th percentile, 14.17% at the 25th percentile, 15.19% at the 75th percentile, 15.73% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $2,637.60 on a gross rise of $3,480.
The same engine at the other published points of the St. Louis, MO-IL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($29,470) | $25,427.26 | $977.97 | 13.72% |
| 25th percentile ($30,780) | $26,419.80 | $1,016.15 | 14.17% |
| Median ($31,260) | $26,784.10 | $1,030.16 | 14.32% |
| 75th percentile ($34,260) | $29,057.40 | $1,117.59 | 15.19% |
| 90th percentile ($36,480) | $30,740.50 | $1,182.33 | 15.73% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $25,427.26 a year at the 10th percentile to $30,740.50 at the 90th — a spread of $5,313.24 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median wage of $49,990 takes home $40,979.44 a year ($1,576.13 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.02%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $26,784.10 sits $14,195.34 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. St. Louis, MO-IL also covers parts of Illinois. The take-home estimate above uses Missouri rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the Illinois paycheck calculator.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Fast Food and Counter Workers earns $31,200 a year ($15.00 an hour). The St. Louis, MO-IL median of $31,260 is $60 (0.2%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $32,800 a year in St. Louis, MO-IL against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $650 (2.0%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $36,480 is 32% of the St. Louis, MO-IL all-occupations 90th percentile ($115,090), and its 10th percentile of $29,470 is 94% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $31,260 | $15.03 | $32,800 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$31,260 a year ($15.03 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $32,800 a year. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #16 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $31,260 in Missouri?
About $26,784.10 a year ($1,030.16 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 14.32% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $34,260, take-home is $29,057.40.
How does pay in St. Louis, MO-IL compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The St. Louis, MO-IL median of $31,260 is $60 (0.2%) above the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $36,480, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$36,480 a year or more ($17.54 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Fast Food and Counter Workers in St. Louis, MO-IL?
On $36,480 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $30,740.50 a year ($1,182.33 per biweekly paycheck) in Missouri under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 15.73%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in St. Louis, MO-IL?
BLS estimates 19,170 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — 14.296 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The location quotient is 0.58 — well below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in St. Louis, MO-IL?
From $25,427.26 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($29,470) to $30,740.50 at the 90th ($36,480), under the same single-filer assumptions in Missouri.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in St. Louis, MO-IL?
About $0.63 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 19,170 multiplied by the mean wage of $32,800.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.