Fast Food and Counter Workers Salary in the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
Fast food and counter workers in the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area earned a median of $27,860 a year ($13.40 an hour) and a mean of $28,610 in May 2025. The median is 10.7% below the U.S. median ($31,200), ranking 328th of 528 areas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Median annual
- $27,860
- Median hourly
- $13.40
- Mean annual
- $28,610
- Jobs on record
- 5,200
Grey needle: U.S. median, $31,200 a year.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Confirm any figure on bls.gov/oes. Latest BLS release: May 2025, published May 15, 2026; checked November 10, 2026.
How does the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area compare on pay for fast food and counter workers?
The Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area ranks 328th of the 528 metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas with a published median.
| Area | Rank | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocala, FL | 326 | $27,880 | 3,340 |
| Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area | 327 | $27,870 | 5,170 |
| High Desert Utah nonmetropolitan area | 328 | $27,860 | 3,450 |
| Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | 328 | $27,860 | 5,200 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 330 | $27,850 | 12,280 |
Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025. Rank 1 is the highest median among 528 areas with a published figure.
How does pay here compare with North Carolina and the U.S.?
The $27,860 median is 2.5% below the North Carolina median ($28,570), and 10.7% below the U.S. median ($31,200).
| Area | Median | 10th percentile | 90th percentile | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $27,860 | $21,650 | $36,300 | 5,200 |
| North Carolina | $28,570 | $21,800 | $36,820 | 92,230 |
| United States | $31,200 | $22,840 | $42,650 | 3,854,050 |
Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025; BLS OEWS state and national files, May 2025.
How does this job compare with all jobs in the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area?
Fast food and counter workers hold 2.05% of the jobs in the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area, against 2.48% of jobs across the U.S., a location quotient of 0.83.
Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025; BLS OEWS metropolitan totals and national file, May 2025.
How many fast food and counter workers work in the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area?
BLS counts 5,200 jobs in the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area, 0.13% of the 3,854,050 in the U.S. That is 20.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area, a location quotient of 0.83: the occupation's share of local jobs is 0.83 times its national share, so it is less concentrated here than in the U.S. as a whole.
Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025 and national file.
Related jobs in the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
Related occupations from O*NET; pay from BLS OEWS metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025.