You can always find a restaurant in the U.S. that will serve a quick bite at an affordable cost. There are nationwide chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s that have plenty of fans. Regional places like In-N-Out or Culver’s will offer up delicious options, albeit in limited locations.

But while fast-food restaurants can be good places to eat no matter where you are, how well do they pay? That might depend on where you live.

Fast-food workers make a median income of $31,040 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with more than 3.7 million people working as fast food or counter workers in the U.S. The position is expected to continue to grow with an additional 233,000 jobs being added to fast-food counters by 2034.

But while the BLS estimates that the median hourly wage for fast food and counter workers is $14.65 per hour, that wage can vary quite a bit depending on which state you live in, as this map from Visual Capitalist shows.

Sunny California Offers Super Pay

California tops the list for hourly wage for fast-food workers as the only state to pay more than $20 an hour for these types of workers. The state’s median hourly wage of $20.33 equates to a yearly income of around $42,000. One major reason for California ranking first is a law that established a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers in 2024.

Another factor that could cause higher wages is the cost of living in each state. Four of the top five highest-paying states for fast-food workers are also among the 10 most expensive states to live in. Colorado is the only exception, though the state is still above the national cost-of-living average.

Mississippi Workers Miss Out on Wages

No state pays less than $10 per hour in median wages, but Mississippi comes closest with a median hourly wage of $10.87. A full-time fast-food worker in the state can expect to earn around $22,600 a year with that income level, which is almost $20,000 less than the median annual wages for a worker in California.

Four of the five lowest-paying states also have the lowest cost of living in the country: Oklahoma, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Alabama. Just like in higher-paying states, the local cost of living can influence wages for fast-food workers, who are among the lowest-paid in the industry.

Where the Workers Are

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the fast-food industry, which employs 461,000 workers. In addition to nationwide fast-food chains, the state is also known for Whataburger restaurants. The chain has restaurants mainly in southern states, with the vast majority—284 locations—in the Lone Star State.

Texas is also one of 17 states in the nation where the most common job is a fast-food worker. Other states on that list include West Coast states like Oregon, East Coast states like Virginia, and Midwest states such as Nebraska and Kansas.

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