Fast Food Employee Statistics

Key Takeaways

• 1In the United States, there are approximately 3.48 million fast food and counter workers employed as of 2023
• 2Women make up approximately 62.4% of the fast food workforce in the United States
• 3The average age of a fast food worker in the U.S. is 23 years old
• 4The median hourly wage for fast food and counter workers in the U.S. is $14.34
• 5The annual mean wage for fast food workers in California is $37,840
• 6The state of Mississippi has the lowest average hourly pay for fast food workers at $10.89
• 7The turnover rate in the fast food industry reached 150% in recent peak years
• 8McDonald’s employees average 2.5 years of tenure per worker
• 9Fast food workers handle an average of 45-60 transactions per hour during peak shifts
• 1073% of fast food workers are enrolled in one or more public assistance programs
• 1179% of fast food workers do not have access to paid sick leave
• 1220% of fast food workers report having more than one job to meet expenses
• 13Fast food workers are 1.2 times more likely to be victims of workplace violence than the average worker
• 1413% of fast food workers report being burned on the job at least once per year
• 1587% of fast food workers report experiencing at least one injury in the past year

Fast food work is often low-paid, hazardous, and dominated by young women.