Paducah, KY-IL metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a fast food or counter worker make in Paducah, KY?

In the Paducah, KY-IL metropolitan area, fast food or counter workers earned a median of $27,640 a year ($13.29 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 1,160 of these jobs there. That is 40% below the $45,860 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $21,810 and $32,930; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Illinois tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $23,148 in take-home pay.

Fast food or counter worker pay in Paducah, KY at a glance

Median salary

$27,640$13.29 per hour · $2,303 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$21,810$10.49/hr
25th percentile$23,280$11.19/hr
75th percentile$29,390$14.13/hr
90th percentile$32,930$15.83/hr
Jobs in this metro1,160Location quotient 0.93 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here40% belowAll-jobs median $45,860
Against Illinois18% belowStatewide median $33,910
Against the U.S.11% belowNational median $31,200

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Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Fast food or counter worker salary in Paducah, KY after taxes

$27,640
$15,000$60,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$27,640
Net 84%
Fed 4%
IL 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$23,148After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,929Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$890Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.3%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,154 / yr
Illinois state income tax$1,223 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,114 / yr

Fast food or counter workers pay range in Paducah, KY, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Paducah, KY-IL metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What fast food or counter workers earned in the Paducah, KY-IL metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IL)
10th percentile$10.49/hr$1,818$21,810$18,636
25th percentile$11.19/hr$1,940$23,280$19,774
MedianMedian$13.29/hr$2,303$27,640$23,148
75th percentile$14.13/hr$2,449$29,390$24,485
90th percentile$15.83/hr$2,744$32,930$27,154

Is $27,640 a good salary in Paducah, KY?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for fast food or counter workers next to both.

Median household income$64,160Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)86.113.9% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household43.1%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Do fast food or counter workers pay tax on tips?

Yes, but less than before. This job is on the Treasury's list of tipped occupations, so from 2025 through 2028 up to $25,000 a year of reported tips comes off federal taxable income, shrinking above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint). Social Security and Medicare are still owed on every tip, and most states still tax them. The BLS pay figures on this page already include tips as employers report them.

See what the tips deduction saves you →

Fast food or counter worker pay in Paducah, KY: common questions

What is the median salary for fast food or counter workers in Paducah, KY-IL?

The BLS median annual wage for fast food or counter workers in the Paducah, KY-IL metro area was $27,640 in May 2025, about $2,303 a month or $13.29 an hour. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $33,910, so the metro pays 18% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for fast food or counter workers in Paducah, KY-IL?

The median hourly wage for fast food or counter workers in Paducah, KY-IL was $13.29 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $10.49 an hour and one in ten earned more than $15.83.

How many fast food or counter workers work in Paducah, KY-IL?

BLS estimated 1,160 jobs for fast food or counter workers in the metro in May 2025, or 23.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.93 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for fast food or counter workers in Paducah, KY-IL?

BLS wage estimates for fast food or counter workers in Paducah, KY-IL run from $21,810 at the 10th percentile to $23,280 at the 25th, $29,390 at the 75th, and $32,930 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do fast food or counter workers take home after taxes in Paducah, KY-IL?

On a median gross salary of $27,640, an estimated $23,148 lands in net take-home pay per year ($890 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,492 (an effective rate of 16.3%).

How much do fast food or counter workers make per month in Paducah, KY-IL?

On the median annual salary of $27,640, gross monthly income is $2,303. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,929 per month (or $890 every two weeks).

Is $27,640 a good salary in Paducah, KY-IL?

At $27,640, the median salary for fast food or counter workers is 43.1% of the Paducah, KY-IL median household income ($64,160). It is 40% below the $45,860 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 86.1, so prices here run 13.9% below the U.S. average.