Fast Food and Counter Workers in the Traverse City Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Fast Food and Counter Workers pay in Traverse City, MI at a median of $28,560 per year ($13.73/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 8% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 1,730 fast food and counter workers are employed across the Traverse City MSA in SOC 35-3023.

The Traverse City pay distribution spans from $25,960 at the 10th percentile to $36,650 at the 90th, a 1.4× 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 $27,750 and the 75th at $34,440, so half of Traverse City-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 Traverse City, MI 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 MI estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.