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The fast food industry represents a significant segment of New York City’s food workforce and fills the stomachs of many New Yorkers with highly processed food. Here we provide some local and national statistics on these establishments and their workers.
Top 10 Food Chains in New York City, 2014 and 2010
| Source: Center for an Urban Future, State of the Chains, 2014 | ||
| Outlet | Number in 2014 | Number in 2010 |
| Dunkin Donuts | 536 | 466 |
| Subway | 462 | 389 |
| Starbucks | 280 | 256 |
| McDonalds | 243 | 241 |
| Baskin Robbins | 209 | 204 |
| Burger King | 81 | 96 |
| Popeye’s | 78 | 68 |
| Domino’s Pizza | 72 | 71 |
| Golden Crust | 69 | 69 |
| Papa John’s | 61 | 63 |
| Carvel | 58 | 61 |
| KFC | 54 | 71 |
| Chipotle | 50 | 29 |
| Wendy’s | 47 | 47 |
| Au Bon Pain | 43 | 34 |
| Total Increase 2010-2014 8.2% | 2,343 | 2,165 |
Fast Food Establishments Per Capita in 3 Cities
Source: Bloomberg.com
| Metropolitan Area | Outlets per 10,000 population | Ratio fast food outlets to full service restaurants |
| New York | 10.62 | 1.19 |
| Baltimore | 10.93 | 1.92 |
| Tampa/St. Pete’s/ Clearwater | 7.21 | 1.05 |
Fast Food Workers
- Current number of U.S. fast food workforce: 4 million and growing
- Number of all U.S. workers who have had minimum wage increased as a result of recent fast food worker activism: 6.5 million
- Percent of fast food workers in US who receive some form of public assistance: 52
- Change in executives’ average compensation packages in constant dollars:
- In 2000: $6 million
- In 2013 $24 million
- Average worker hourly pay in New York City: $8.00
- Average hourly pay needed for a single parent and child to meet basic needs in New York City $30.02
- 2013 NYC fast food restaurants employment: 57,000 workers.
- Increase in number of fast food jobs in New York City, 2010-2013: 30%
- Increase in all private sector employment, 2010-2013: 3%
- Number of outlets in New York City, 2012: 6,600
- Number of outlets in 2008: 4,600
- In 2012 in Manhattan, 2,400 outlets employed more than 25,000 workers
- Average annual wages in the fast food industry in 2012 were $19,100 in Manhattan, $14,000 in Staten Island and $15,500 in Brooklyn.
Source: Fiscal Policy Institute. The Taxpayer Costs of Low-Wage Fast Food Jobs in New York State, 2013
Sources and for more information:
Allegretto SA et al. Fast Food, Poverty Wages: The Public Cost of Low-Wage Jobs in the Fast-Food Industry UC Berkeley Labor Center, 2013.
Finnegan W. Dignity Fast-food workers and a new form of labor activism. The New Yorker September 15, 2014.
Ruetschlin C. How CEO-to-Worker Pay Disparity Undermines the Industry and the Overall Economy. Demos, 2014.
