Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
16 metro areas in North Carolina publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 102,080 jobs. The three largest employers of fast food and counter workers are Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia (27,050 jobs), Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk (22,520 jobs), Raleigh-Cary (12,790 jobs), which hold 61.1% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $26,850 to $29,170 a year, against $28,570 for the whole state and $31,200 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $31,200 a year for fast food and counter workers (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $22,840 and the highest-paid tenth over $42,650). Employment is projected to change by +5.8% between 2025 and 2035, with about 827,400 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: No formal educational credential; on-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Fast food and counter workers in North Carolina: the highest median pay is in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area ($29,170 a year); the most jobs are in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area (27,050). Statewide the median is $28,570 with 92,230 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 5,350 | $29,170 | $22,590 | $37,860 | 0.63 | 60% | 97.6 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 12,790 | $29,080 | $22,370 | $37,460 | 0.69 | 65% | 98.2 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 27,050 | $28,880 | $22,850 | $37,010 | 0.80 | 61% | 97.3 |
| Asheville, NC | 3,850 | $28,810 | $22,090 | $36,420 | 0.86 | 54% | 96.5 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 22,520 | $28,780 | $27,420 | $35,360 | 1.19 | 62% | 97.9 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 4,900 | $28,640 | $21,430 | $36,580 | 0.73 | 43% | 92.0 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 6,790 | $28,200 | $21,450 | $36,190 | 0.75 | 47% | 92.9 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 3,130 | $28,170 | $21,110 | $35,660 | 0.96 | 52% | 92.0 |
| Goldsboro, NC | 760 | $28,070 | $21,090 | $35,990 | 0.76 | 41% | 88.5 |
| Greenville, NC | 1,770 | $28,000 | $21,510 | $35,600 | 0.88 | 43% | 88.4 |
| Burlington, NC | 1,480 | $27,710 | $21,600 | $36,010 | 0.88 | 46% | 93.2 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 2,930 | $27,580 | $21,340 | $36,170 | 0.77 | 38% | 88.5 |
| Wilmington, NC | 5,100 | $27,460 | $21,530 | $37,030 | 1.08 | 61% | 96.4 |
| Jacksonville, NC | 1,900 | $27,330 | $21,100 | $36,940 | 1.46 | 56% | 92.1 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 880 | $27,200 | $20,960 | $36,680 | 0.82 | 55% | 88.3 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | 880 | $26,850 | $20,930 | $34,600 | 0.65 | 41% | 88.0 |
National page: Fast food and counter workers →Cities of North Carolina
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area, with a median of $29,170 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area, with 27,050 jobs.