Older Workers Have Flocked to Fast Food Jobs Over the Past Decade

If you had to guess, what would you say is the average age of a fast food employee in the United States?

18? 20? Older? Younger?

The answer? 29.5.

That's right - the average age of a fast food employee in the United States is 29 1/2 years.

This is up dramatically from 2000, when the average fast food worker in the US was 22 years old. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

The fast food industry has been in the spotlight over the past week thanks to a recent hiring blitz by McDonald's. The fast food giant had a "National Hiring Day" earlier this week in which they were looking to fill 50,000 job openings.

There was a crush of applicants nationwide. People arrived early and stayed late just to interview for a position. Many locations through the country had hundreds of people lined up to apply for a position.

People from all different walks of life applied for positions at McDonald's. People with families. Older folks. Teenagers. The mass of people that applied for a "McJob" just illustrated how poor the US job market is right now.

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Many people think that fast food jobs are primarily occupied by teenagers, but that's no longer the case.

Over the past decade, the average age of a fast food worker in the United States has surged higher, mainly because many older workers are not able to find work elsewhere. Fast food positions don't pay well, but many people just aren't able to find work anywhere else.

Source: Yahoo.com - McDonald's hiring day draws crowds, high hopes

Filed under: The Economic Meltdown