Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Florida tax rules.
The figures
The median Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area earns $29,260 a year ($14.07 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL earn between $28,070 and $33,110 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $27,580 or less and the top 10 percent earn $36,820 or more. BLS estimates 33,910 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area — 23.433 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.95 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 0.9% of all Fast Food and Counter Workers employment in the United States (3,854,050 jobs nationally). By employment, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL is the #22 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In aggregate, Fast Food and Counter Workers in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL earn about $1.06 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $27,257.22 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Fast Food and Counter Workers is about $0.92 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL stands #20 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Fast Food and Counter Workers. By employment, Fast Food and Counter Workers is the #5 largest of the 29 covered occupations in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. Placed against the national distribution for Fast Food and Counter Workers, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median of $29,260 falls between the national 25th percentile ($27,700) and the national median ($31,200). Across all occupations, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median is $48,940 a year — Fast Food and Counter Workers pay is 40.2% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $15.00 | $31,210 |
| 10th percentile | $13.26 | $27,580 |
| 25th percentile | $13.50 | $28,070 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $14.07 | $29,260 |
| 75th percentile | $15.92 | $33,110 |
| 90th percentile | $17.70 | $36,820 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Fast Food and Counter Workers in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL earn 1.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($36,820 against $27,580). The middle half spans $5,040 — from $28,070 to $33,110. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($17.70) is 1.33 times the 10th ($13.26). In the upper half of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $33,110 takes home $28,783.86 and the 90th percentile wage of $36,820 takes home $31,765.08 — $2,981.22 more net for $3,710 more gross. Against the median take-home of $25,690.46, the top decile keeps 1.24 times as much. The mean wage of $31,210 sits 6.7% above the median: higher-paid Fast Food and Counter Workers pull the average up in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. Among the 29 covered occupations in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, Fast Food and Counter Workers ranks #29 by median pay. In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL wage ladder of covered occupations, Fast Food and Counter Workers sits just below Cashiers at $30,290. Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 2.3% of all employment in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area. The average covered metro employs 62,486 Fast Food and Counter Workers; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL employs 0.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Florida
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Florida; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $29,260.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,331.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $1,814.12 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $424.27 |
| Florida income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $3,569.54 |
| Net pay (annual) | $25,690.46 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $988.09 |
| Total deduction rate | 12.20% of gross |
At the median, $25,690.46 of the $29,260 gross is kept ($988.09 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 12.20%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 11.81% at the 10th percentile, 11.91% at the 25th percentile, 13.07% at the 75th percentile, 13.73% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $4,058.24 on a gross rise of $5,040.
The same engine at the other published points of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($27,580) | $24,322.20 | $935.47 | 11.81% |
| 25th percentile ($28,070) | $24,725.62 | $950.99 | 11.91% |
| Median ($29,260) | $25,690.46 | $988.09 | 12.20% |
| 75th percentile ($33,110) | $28,783.86 | $1,107.07 | 13.07% |
| 90th percentile ($36,820) | $31,765.08 | $1,221.73 | 13.73% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $24,322.20 a year at the 10th percentile to $31,765.08 at the 90th — a spread of $7,442.88 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median wage of $48,940 takes home $41,503.48 a year ($1,596.29 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.20%). The Fast Food and Counter Workers median take-home of $25,690.46 sits $15,813.02 (below that area-wide figure.
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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median of $29,260 is $1,940 (6.2%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $31,210 a year in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL against $32,150 nationally, a gap of $940 (2.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Fast Food and Counter Workers 90th percentile of $36,820 is 30% of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL all-occupations 90th percentile ($121,920), and its 10th percentile of $27,580 is 91% of the area-wide 10th ($30,190).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $29,260 | $14.07 | $31,210 |
| United States | $31,200 | $15.00 | $32,150 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
$29,260 a year ($14.07 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $31,210 a year. Ranked by median pay, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL stands #20 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $29,260 in Florida?
About $25,690.46 a year ($988.09 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 12.20% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $33,110, take-home is $28,783.86.
How does pay in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median of $29,260 is $1,940 (6.2%) below the national median of $31,200 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $36,820, against a national 90th percentile of $42,650.
How much do the top 10% of Fast Food and Counter Workers earn in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
$36,820 a year or more ($17.70 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
On $36,820 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $31,765.08 a year ($1,221.73 per biweekly paycheck) in Florida under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 13.73%.
How many Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs are there in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
BLS estimates 33,910 Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area — 23.433 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Fast Food and Counter Workers jobs in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
The location quotient is 0.95 — about the same concentration as the nation. 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
From $24,322.20 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($27,580) to $31,765.08 at the 90th ($36,820), under the same single-filer assumptions in Florida.
What is the total wage bill for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
About $1.06 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 33,910 multiplied by the mean wage of $31,210.
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.