SOC 35-3023 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025

How much do Fast Food and Counter Workers make in Traverse City, MI?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Traverse City, MI is $28,560. The 10th percentile is $25,960 and the 90th percentile is $36,650. Employment is 1,730.

Median annual wage

$28,560

10th percentile
$25,960
25th percentile
$27,750
Median
$28,560
75th percentile
$34,440
90th percentile
$36,650
Mean
$30,580

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder in a green hard hat working on a metal structure
A welder in a hard hat on a metal structure. Photograph by FBenjr123. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Fast Food and Counter Workers, the published 10th percentile is $25,960 and the 90th percentile is $36,650. The difference is $10,690, which is 37.4% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $27,750 to the 75th at $34,440, covers $6,690.

The mean annual wage is $30,580, which sits above the median of $28,560. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Traverse City, MI median is 8.5% lower than the national median of $31,200 for Fast Food and Counter Workers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $30,587, which is 2% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 1.3% lower than the Michigan median of $28,930.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Traverse City, MI is 93.372, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $28,560 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Fast Food and Counter Workers at $30,587 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

18 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Fast Food and Counter Workers. Traverse City, MI ranks 10th of 19 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Green Bay, WI is 108 miles away, with a median of $28,640 and employment of 3,930. That median is 0.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $30,767, against $30,587 here.
  • Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI is 108 miles away, with a median of $28,850 and employment of 2,740. That median is 1% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $31,183, against $30,587 here.
  • Midland, MI is 118 miles away, with a median of $28,480 and employment of 1,060. That median is 0.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $30,983, against $30,587 here.

Employment share

Fast Food and Counter Workers accounts for 2.5% of wage-and-salary employment in Traverse City, MI (1,730 of 68,440). Nationally the occupation is 2.5% of employment (3,854,050 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.02 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Traverse City, MI · Fast Food and Counter Workers by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Fast Food and Counter Workers make in Traverse City, MI?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Fast Food and Counter Workers in Traverse City, MI is $28,560. The 10th percentile is $25,960 and the 90th percentile is $36,650. Employment is 1,730.

How does that compare with the national median for Fast Food and Counter Workers?

The local median is 8.5% lower than the national median of $31,200.

What is Fast Food and Counter Workers pay in Traverse City, MI after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Traverse City, MI is 93.372, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $28,560 is $30,587. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Traverse City, MI compare with nearby metros for Fast Food and Counter Workers?

Green Bay, WI is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 108 miles away, at $28,640. Traverse City, MI ranks 10th of 19 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.