Career Atlas USA

Fast Food and Counter Workers Salary in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the median annual wage for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is $29,170. BLS estimates approximately 5,350 people work in this occupation in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is 6.5% below the national median ($31,200).

Median salary
$29,170
Average salary
$30,280
Median hourly
$14.02
Employment
5,350

Salary Distribution

Not everyone earns the median. Percentile wages show the range of pay within this occupation.

PercentileAnnual wageHourly wage
10th percentile$22,590$10.86
25th percentile$26,620$12.80
Median (50th)$29,170$14.02
75th percentile$35,670$17.15
90th percentile$37,860$18.20

Data Reliability

BLS OEWS is a survey, not a full census — every estimate carries a margin of error. The relative standard error (RSE) below is BLS’s own measure of how much an estimate could vary; lower is more precise.

Wage estimate
RSE 1.5% — Very reliable
Employment estimate
RSE 5.8% — Reliable

Where Does Your Salary Fall?

Enter an annual salary to see roughly where it falls among reported wages for this occupation, based on the percentile points above.

$

Concentration

Jobs per 1,000
15.565
Location quotient
0.63

Cost-of-Living Adjusted Salary

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC’s regional price level is below the national average (index 97.572, where 100 = U.S. average). Adjusted for that, the median salary has the purchasing power of $29,896 at the national price level.

This is a Career Atlas USA calculation based on BLS wage data and BEA Regional Price Parities. It is not a separate BLS wage estimate. Wage data: May 2025. Cost-of-living data: 2024.

Sources

Wage data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)May 2025 (release 25).

Figures shown as “Not available” reflect wages the source does not publish (e.g. suppressed for reliability), not zero.

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