SOC 35-3023 · Traverse City, MI metro

Fast Food and Counter Workers Salary in Traverse City, MI

The average salary for fast food and counter workers in Traverse City, Michigan is $30,580 a year ($14.70 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $28,560: half of the 1,730 people in this job in the Traverse City, MI metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 5% less than the U.S. average for this job ($32,150).

$30,580average per year

$14.70 / hourMedian $28,560Take-home ≈ $25,698

  • $26K10th
  • $28K25th
  • $29KMedian
  • $34K75th
  • $37K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

1,730people in this job
-5%vs U.S. average
#3 of 15Michigan metros
93cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Fast Food and Counter Workers pay range in Traverse City

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $25,960 a year or less, while the top 10% make $36,650 or more. The middle half of fast food and counter workers in Traverse City earn between $27,750 and $34,440.

  • $26K10th
  • $28K25th
  • $29KMedian
  • $34K75th
  • $37K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$30,580$2,548$14.70
Median$28,560$2,380$13.73
Entry level (25th percentile)$27,750$2,312$13.34
Experienced (75th percentile)$34,440$2,870$16.56

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Fast Food and Counter Workers pay in Traverse City vs. Michigan and the U.S.

Fast food and counter workers in Traverse City earn about the same as the Michigan average ($30,260) and 5% less than the U.S. average ($32,150). At the median the gap is -8% against the U.S. median of $31,200.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Traverse City$30,580$28,560$25,960$36,6501,730
Michigan$30,260$28,930$25,960$35,970103,130
United States$32,150$31,200$22,840$42,6503,854,050

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Fast Food and Counter Workers salary after taxes in Traverse City

On the average salary of $30,580, a single filer in Traverse City takes home about $25,698 a year, or $2,141 a month and $988 every two weeks. Taxes take 16% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).

Michigan paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Traverse City a good place for fast food and counter workers? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Traverse City area are 7% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 93.4), so the average $30,580 buys what about $32,751 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Traverse City ($47,470). A typical home costs $421,806, or 13.8 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $30,580 is worth in another city

Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in other Michigan cities

Traverse City ranks 3rd of 15 Michigan metro areas for this job; Ann Arbor pays the most ($32,620).

All Fast Food and Counter Workers salaries in Michigan

Highest-paying cities for fast food and counter workers

San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($44,980).

Fast Food and Counter Workers salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Fast Food and Counter Workers in Traverse City, MI.

Fast Food and Counter Workers salary in Traverse City: questions

How much do fast food and counter workers make an hour in Traverse City?

$14.70 an hour on average, and $13.73 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level fast food and counter workers salary in Traverse City?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $25,960 a year and the 25th percentile is $27,750, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the fast food and counter workers take-home pay in Traverse City?

About $25,698 a year ($2,141 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $30,580.

Do fast food and counter workers earn more in Traverse City than elsewhere?

The average here is 5% less than the U.S. average for this job ($32,150).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 35-3023; area Traverse City, MI (45900). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.0%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.02, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.

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