Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Hot Springs Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Fast Food and Counter Workers pay in Hot Springs, AR at a median of $23,350 per year ($11.22/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $31,200, the metro estimate is 25% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 1,260 fast food and counter workers are employed across the Hot Springs MSA in SOC 35-3023.

The Hot Springs pay distribution spans from $22,880 at the 10th percentile to $30,620 at the 90th, a 1.3× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $22,900 and the 75th at $26,920, so half of Hot Springs-based fast food and counter workers earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Hot Springs, AR covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide AR estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.