Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Lake Charles Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Fast Food and Counter Workers pay in Lake Charles, LA at a median of $22,500 per year ($10.82/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 28% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 2,350 fast food and counter workers are employed across the Lake Charles MSA in SOC 35-3023.

The Lake Charles pay distribution spans from $18,330 at the 10th percentile to $30,010 at the 90th, a 1.6× 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 $21,870 and the 75th at $24,180, so half of Lake Charles-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 Lake Charles, LA 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 LA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.