Fast Food Worker · Dallas–Fort Worth, TX

113.8 hours of work

cover a month's rent on a one-bedroom in Dallas–Fort Worth for a fast food worker earning the median $13.50 an hour.

Strained Rank 11 of 20 for Fast Food and Counter Workers (by rent share of take-home) · Metro median pay is 10% below this job's U.S. median

Median pay
$28,070
per year · $13.50/hr · 128,380 Fast Food and Counter Workers
1-bedroom rent
$1,536
per month · HUD Fair Market Rent FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)
Take-home
$2,060
per month after federal tax + FICA
Left after rent
$524
per month · yours · 75% of take-home

Hours of work = monthly rent ÷ BLS median hourly wage ($1,536 ÷ $13.50). After federal taxes the same rent takes 129.2 h of take-home pay.

EARNINGS STATEMENT FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)
Fast Food Worker
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Rate (median, hourly)$13.50
Hours in a month173.3
Gross pay$2,339
Federal income tax−$100
Social Security + Medicare−$179
Take-home$2,060
Rent · 1BR · HUD FMR−$1,536

Rent costs

113.8 hours

of work to cover one month

STUB-01

Wages May 2025 estimates · Rent FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)

01 · Paycheck prints

A month at the median wage, line by line.

Rate $13.50 × 173.3 hours (2,080 ÷ 12) prints gross pay of $2,339.

EARNINGS STATEMENT FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)
Fast Food Worker
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Rate (median, hourly)$13.50
Hours in a month173.3
Gross pay$2,339
Federal income tax−$100
Social Security + Medicare−$179
Take-home$2,060
Rent · 1BR · HUD FMR−$1,536

Rent costs

113.8 hours

of work to cover one month

STUB-01

Wages May 2025 estimates · Rent FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)

02 · Taxes peel off

Federal income tax and FICA come off the stub.

2026 single filer, standard deduction. State income tax is not levied in this state.

Federal income tax 2026, single−$100
Social Security + Medicare−$179

Taxes · $279 · peeled

03 · Rent tears away

A strip as tall as the rent.

113.8 h

of work at $13.50/hr pays $1,536, one month of a one-bedroom in Dallas–Fort Worth. The strip is drawn to scale: $1,536 of a $2,339 gross month (66% of stub).

Background tint · rent burden 74.6% of take-home

Rent · 1BR FMR−$1,536

Hours of work

113.8

HUD Fair Market Rent FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026) · Dallas–Fort Worth metro

04 · What's left is yours

After tax and the 1-bedroom, this remains.

Strained

What's left · yours

$524

Take-home before rent$2,060
2BR instead (−$1,807)$253
vs HUD 30%-of-gross rule0.46×

05 · Floor plan

The stub becomes a one-bedroom.

Rent hatches rooms in ledger red, to scale against take-home. Toggle a 2-bedroom — both figures are precomputed HUD FMRs.

1-bedroom floor plan with rent hatched LIVING BED BATH KITCHEN

Hatched share is 75% of take-home (1BR).

06 · Street grid

How Dallas–Fort Worth compares for Fast Food and Counter Workers

Hours of work to cover a one-bedroom's rent, all metros, fewest hours first.

Comfortable (rent ≤ 30% of take-home)Stretched (30–40%)Strained (> 40%)

Sorted by hours of work (1-bedroom HUD FMR ÷ median hourly wage), fewest first. Rank on the page still uses rent share of take-home.

# Metro Hours Rent Wage / hr 0 – 52 h (HUD 30% of gross)
01 Detroit 82.0 h $1,167 $14.23
02 Riverside–San Bernardino 83.9 h $1,705 $20.33
03 Minneapolis–St. Paul 89.8 h $1,427 $15.89
04 Phoenix 89.9 h $1,493 $16.61
05 Houston 95.2 h $1,261 $13.25
06 Philadelphia 100.6 h $1,558 $15.49
07 Baltimore 102.1 h $1,625 $15.91
08 Denver 102.7 h $1,831 $17.82
09 Chicago 106.9 h $1,780 $16.65
10 San Francisco 108.6 h $2,290 $21.09
11 Dallas–Fort Worth 113.8 h $1,536 $13.50
12 San Diego 115.1 h $2,335 $20.28
13 Seattle 115.8 h $2,180 $18.82
14 Tampa 117.1 h $1,648 $14.07
15 Los Angeles 118.7 h $2,402 $20.24
16 Atlanta 121.2 h $1,619 $13.36
17 Washington, DC 132.5 h $2,204 $16.64
18 Boston 144.3 h $2,518 $17.45
19 Miami 149.1 h $2,121 $14.23
20 New York 160.2 h $2,729 $17.03

The ledger

One month at the median wage, line by line, in dollars and in hours of work.

LinePer monthHours of workBasis
Gross pay$2,339173.3$28,070 ÷ 12
Federal income tax−$1007.4$1,197/yr ÷ 12
Social Security + Medicare−$17913.3$2,147/yr ÷ 12
Take-home$2,060152.6TX has no wage tax
Rent · 1BR FMR−$1,536113.8HUD FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026)
Yours$52438.8take-home − rent

Hours = dollars ÷ $13.50; 173.3 = 2,080 hrs ÷ 12. May not sum exactly due to rounding.

Hours of work for rent, by pay level

Same $1,536 one-bedroom, different fast food worker paychecks.

10th · $11.10 138.4 h
25th · $12.90 119.0 h
Median · $13.50 113.8 h
75th · $14.98 102.6 h
90th · $17.42 88.2 h

Bar scale includes the HUD 30%-of-gross line at 52.0 h (52 h rounded). Same 1-bedroom, different paychecks (BLS wage percentiles ÷ 2,080 hrs).

Take-home vs rent

Monthly take-home pay: $2,060 1-bedroom Rent $1,536 2-bedroom Rent $1,807

Where Fast Food and Counter Workers keep more after rent

This ranking uses rent share of take-home (rank 11 of 20), not hours.

≤30% of take-home30–40%>40%30% line

Sources & method

  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — metropolitan areas — vintage: May 2025 estimates. File: oesm25ma.zip, retrieved 2026-10-06.
  2. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD USER), Fair Market Rents, FY2027 — vintage: FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026). File: FY27_FMRs.xlsx, retrieved 2026-10-05.
  3. Internal Revenue Service, Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (tax year 2026 brackets, $16,100 standard deduction) and SSA's $184,500 wage base, used for the take-home estimate.
  4. HUD FMR area: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area (METRO19100M19100).
  5. Occupation: SOC 35-3023 Fast Food and Counter Workers.

Take-home = annual wage − 2026 federal income tax (single filer, standard deduction) − Social Security and Medicare. State and local income taxes are not deducted. Wages are May 2025 estimates; rents are HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026). Full details on the methodology page. Page data last rebuilt 2026-10-06.

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