← All 785 jobsFile 35-3023
Fast Food and Counter Workers
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 5.8% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #472 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +5.8% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $31,200 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 3.9 million in the US, with about 827,400 openings a year
The work, 20 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Provide food or beverage services17%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Prepare foods or beverages15%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 859 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas12%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Execute financial transactions11%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,073 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time.
Still yours: Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 354 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Package objects5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Stock supplies or products5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Provide information to guests, clients, or customers4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 9 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI helps with this: Purchase goods or services3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 214 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time.
AI does this: Respond to customer problems or inquiries2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 6 Copilot conversations and completed it 84% of the time.
Still yours: Train others on operational or work procedures2%
AI does this in desk jobs, but in this one it is mostly hands-on.
Still yours: Reconcile financial data2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Move materials, equipment, or supplies2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Dispose of waste or debris2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Arrange displays or decorations2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,323 conversations, and it got them there 65% of the time.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Write material for artistic or commercial purposes1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 67 conversations, and it got them there 86% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 106 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 827,400 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 57% of the workBartenders6% AI does, against 12% here+5% by 2035 · $34,340 · No formal credential
- Shares 50% of the workCooks, Fast Food0% AI does, against 12% here+0.6% by 2035 · $30,890 · No formal credential
- Shares 49% of the workDining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers0% AI does, against 12% here+5.3% by 2035 · $33,980 · No formal credential
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.16, higher than 57% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 35-3023 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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