Workers’ comp insurance cost for fast food in Texas

Published 2026-06-11 · by Brokly

Direct answer: Texas fast-food restaurants pay a filed workers’-comp manual rate of $0.81 per $100 of payroll (2024 filed rate) — the 37th-highest of 51 US jurisdictions. Modeled on real payrolls, most 20–49-employee fast-food restaurants land around $3.1k–$7.5k/yr, before experience mods and schedule credits.

What do Texas fast-food restaurants pay for workers’ comp?

Modeled annual premium across the real size distribution of TX fast-food restaurants

bar height = how many fast-food restaurants are that size · figures = modeled annual cost

typical · most TX fast-food restaurants
<5 emp
$610/yr
5–9 emp
$1.3k/yr
10–19 emp
$2.4k/yr
20–49 emp
$4.6k/yr
50–99 emp
$11k/yr
100–249 emp
$21k/yr
SMALLER
MID-SIZE
LARGER
A 20–49-employee TX fast-food restaurant: modeled $3.1k–$7.5k/yr in workers’-comp premium (that band’s own average wage, before experience mods and schedule credits). Bar heights show how many of the 24,360 TX fast-food restaurants fall in each size band.

Cohort: size distribution of 24,360 TX fast-food restaurants (Census CBP 2023); premiums modeled from one filed rate ($0.81/$100 payroll, 2024). Bands shown cover 24,340 of 24,360 establishments (99.9%) 20 establishments in larger, very small-count, or data-suppressed size bands are not shown. 2023 payroll dollars, not inflation-adjusted. Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation.

Filed manual rate (TX)
$0.81 / $100 payroll
as of 2024
Typical 20–49-employee fast-food restaurant (33% of TX)
$3.1k–$7.5k / yr modeled
as of 2024 · CBP 2023
Carrier multipliers (TX filings)
0.09×–5.93× 300+ filings, special programs incl.
as of 2026-05-28
Schedule credits / debits
±40% most carriers
as of 2026-05-28

Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04) · US Census County Business Patterns 2023, state file (Limited-service restaurants (NAICS 722513)) (as of 2023, retrieved 2026-06-05) · Texas Dept. of Insurance — WC insurance-company rate filings (LCMs + schedule rating) (as of 2026-05-28, retrieved 2026-06-05)

How does Texas compare to nearby ranks?

Calculated manual rates, $ per $100 payroll, NCCI class 9083 (Restaurant: Fast Food), 2024. See all 51 jurisdictions →

RankStateRate / $100 payroll
33Mississippi$0.91
34Kansas$0.90
35North Carolina$0.86
36New Mexico$0.84
37Texas$0.81
38Massachusetts$0.81
39Virginia$0.74
40District of Columbia$0.74
41Indiana$0.73

Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04)

Frequently asked questions

What does workers' comp cost fast-food restaurants in Texas?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $0.81 per $100 of payroll: a 20–49-employee fast-food restaurant lands around $3.1k–$7.5k per year before experience mods and schedule credits.

What drives the rate up or down?

Three levers: payroll (the exposure base), claims history (the experience modifier), and schedule credits/debits the insurer applies. Fast-food restaurants fall under NCCI class 9083 (Restaurant: Fast Food); full-service restaurants (class 9082) and bars (9084) are rated separately.

Why do quotes for the same business differ so much between insurers?

Each carrier files its own pricing with the Texas Department of Insurance — across 300+ filings, loss-cost multipliers span 0.09×–5.93× (special programs included) and filed schedule-rating credits/debits reach ±40%. Same class code, very different filed prices — which is why brokers shop the market.

Fast food in nearby-ranked states: Massachusetts ($0.81) · New Mexico ($0.84) · North Carolina ($0.86) · Virginia ($0.74)

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Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation. Figures are modeled from public filings and Census data for 24,360 Texas fast-food restaurants; your premium depends on your payroll, claims history, and carrier.