Louisiana · BLS May 2025

Fast Food or Counter Worker Salary in Louisiana

Also called fast food worker. SOC 35-3023.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 45,720 fast food and counter workers working in Louisiana. Here is what they are paid, what the median leaves after federal, state and FICA tax, and what that is worth against local prices.

Median pay · Louisiana

$22,800A year, or $10.96 an hour.
Take-home a month$1,674After federal, state and FICA tax at 11.9%
Worth at national prices$25,848Prices here sit at 88.2 against 100
Against the nation26.9% belowNational median $31,200
What fast food and counter workers earn in Louisiana, May 2025
PercentileAnnualHourly
10th percentileEntry and lowest-paid$18,610$8.95
25th percentile$21,770$10.47
MedianHalf earn more, half less$22,800$10.96
75th percentile$26,680$12.83
90th percentileMost experienced and senior$33,320$16.02
MeanThe average, pulled up by the top$24,580$11.82
How we got this
  1. Median wage in LouisianaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of fast food and counter workers earned more than this, half less.$22,800
  2. Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$10.96
  3. Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$1,674 a month at an effective rate of 11.9%.$20,088 a year
  4. Worth at national average pricesPrices in Louisiana sit at 88.2 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$25,848
  5. Against the national medianThe national median is $31,200.26.9% below
  6. Jobs countedA concentration of 0.95 against the nation's 1.00.45,720
What we assumed
  • Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
  • OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
  • Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
  • Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details

Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1

What lands in the bank

A $22,800 salary in Louisiana, for one single filer taking the standard deduction in 2026.

  • Federal income tax. $670 a year.
  • State income tax. $298 a year.
  • Social Security and Medicare. $1,744 a year.
  • Left over. $20,088 a year, $1,674 a month, an effective rate of 11.9%.

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What $22,800 is worth in Louisiana

Prices in Louisiana sit at 88.2 against a national average of 100, so $22,800 earned here buys what $25,848 buys at national average prices.

  • Rents. 63.1 against 100, the component that moves most between states.
  • Against local households. The median household in Louisiana takes in $60,756, so this occupation's median is 0.38 times that, on one income.
  • How common the job is here. 5% less concentrated in Louisiana than in the country as a whole.

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Common questions

Fast Food or Counter Worker pay in Louisiana, answered

How much does a fast food or counter worker make in Louisiana?

The median wage for fast food or counter workers in Louisiana is $22,800 a year, or $10.96 an hour.

Half earn more than that and half earn less. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage survey for May 2025.

What is the take-home pay for a fast food or counter worker in Louisiana?

On the median wage of $22,800, one filer taking the standard deduction keeps about $20,088 a year, or roughly $1,674 a month.

That is after federal, state and FICA tax, an effective rate of 11.9%.

Louisiana takes $298 of it in state income tax.

Do fast food or counter workers earn more in Louisiana than in the rest of the country?

No. The median in Louisiana is 26.9% below the national median of $31,200.

Nominal pay is only half the comparison: prices in Louisiana sit at 88.2 against a national 100, so the gap in what the money buys is different from the gap in the salary.

Is $22,800 a good salary in Louisiana?

It is 0.38 times the median household income of $60,756. A household often has more than one earner, so a single salary at this level goes further than the ratio alone suggests.

Prices in Louisiana run at 88.2 against a national average of 100, with rents at 63.1, so $22,800 here buys about what $25,848 buys at national average prices.

What do the highest-paid fast food or counter workers earn in Louisiana?

The top tenth earn $33,320 a year or more, against $18,610 at the bottom tenth.

Experience, specialism, employer and the part of Louisiana someone works in all move a wage inside that range; the survey reports the spread, not the reason for it.

How many fast food or counter workers are there in Louisiana?

The survey counted 45,720 of these jobs in Louisiana for May 2025.

That makes the occupation 5% less concentrated here than in the country as a whole. It counts wage and salary jobs, so the self-employed are outside it.

Sources

Where this data comes from