Salary by Metro

SOC 35-3031 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

Waiters and Waitresses wages by metro

National median annual wage

$35,230

10th percentile
$18,100
25th percentile
$27,750
Median
$35,230
75th percentile
$47,110
90th percentile
$64,720
Mean
$40,060

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

National employment in May 2025: 2,270,910.

That median is 30.9% lower than the all-occupations national median of $50,980.

The metro and state figures below are the same May 2025 release. A blank wage means BLS did not publish it. See when a wage is not published.

A welder working in a workshop
A welder at a workshop bench. Photograph by ABDULIUMAR. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Highest published medians

Metros with the highest published annual medians for Waiters and Waitresses.
OccupationEmployment10thMedian90th
Kahului-Wailuku, HI2,700$32,430$82,550$135,660
Burlington-South Burlington, VT1,510$30,200$61,620$89,130
Urban Honolulu, HI8,550$29,120$60,250$101,690
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA26,530$36,730$57,280$95,940
Walla Walla, WA340$38,590$56,730$79,340
Bellingham, WA1,450$36,670$56,700$89,830
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA1,370$38,410$55,270$96,620
Longview-Kelso, WA410$37,510$54,870$81,030
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA13,910$33,980$54,780$81,630
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA830$37,910$53,060$81,410
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA1,410$36,330$53,000$92,670
Kennewick-Richland, WA1,510$35,340$51,460$89,410
Bend, OR1,750$31,500$50,480$76,310
Medford, OR1,130$30,640$50,440$72,790
Boulder, CO2,670$33,800$49,870$80,920
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA960$37,570$49,820$93,210
Yakima, WA1,000$34,740$49,060$78,410
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY6,310$32,240$48,980$80,500
Grants Pass, OR330$30,910$48,950$76,070
Salem, OR1,850$31,300$48,720$74,850

Where employment is largest

Metros with the most Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the May 2025 tables.
OccupationEmployment10thMedian90th
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ138,720$33,810$47,610$95,610
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA85,210$34,380$35,850$59,200
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL57,830$27,260$36,070$63,680
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN54,100$31,200$31,200$50,410
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX53,460$17,960$24,160$49,510
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX51,330$17,480$22,080$47,290
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV46,160$31,880$46,040$81,060
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA45,880$15,080$18,460$46,800
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD41,900$21,900$36,570$65,340
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH41,570$31,930$39,270$64,150
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ39,920$30,850$47,530$79,780
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL36,820$27,040$35,410$63,680
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV36,160$24,960$27,110$61,340
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI29,210$25,960$37,490$64,210
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA29,080$35,780$38,860$74,900
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA26,530$36,730$57,280$95,940
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI25,620$23,260$25,920$43,280
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL25,280$27,310$37,070$72,180
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA24,050$34,820$35,850$82,800
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA20,810$34,320$34,800$77,810

States and territories

State estimates for Waiters and Waitresses, May 2025.
OccupationEmployment10thMedian90th
Hawaii14,090$29,120$62,390$119,870
Vermont4,040$29,690$59,140$89,330
Washington45,400$36,710$56,130$94,930
Oregon23,040$31,200$48,410$77,620
District of Columbia11,530$36,400$47,850$100,240
New York142,940$33,540$47,020$83,210
New Jersey55,800$32,220$44,960$78,510
Colorado40,680$30,800$44,860$78,160
Virginia59,370$28,270$44,760$74,130
Arizona55,950$30,580$43,950$78,920
Maine9,090$30,490$43,370$82,930
Massachusetts54,670$31,790$38,460$62,200
New Hampshire10,030$21,060$38,430$72,810
Connecticut22,370$34,010$37,770$72,060
Michigan65,090$25,960$37,760$64,350
New Mexico12,740$26,670$36,920$69,410
Delaware7,580$31,200$36,880$62,000
Maryland38,120$31,200$36,750$62,210
Ohio77,250$23,820$36,700$63,740
Virgin Islands690$23,200$36,340$80,510
Florida207,180$27,230$36,150$63,580
Kansas19,480$17,370$36,120$62,890
California229,970$34,320$36,080$68,950
Rhode Island10,160$31,200$35,420$62,680
West Virginia8,600$20,230$35,380$60,560
Pennsylvania82,300$18,400$34,690$61,780
Nebraska13,310$28,080$33,770$59,420
North Carolina71,940$17,140$32,150$62,670
Illinois72,900$31,200$31,200$49,470
Utah17,790$18,550$31,150$60,320
North Dakota5,250$18,470$30,890$60,570
Idaho10,950$16,770$30,050$62,220
Wisconsin36,220$16,830$29,670$61,770
Kentucky27,150$16,520$29,660$62,030
Missouri41,640$28,600$29,400$61,440
South Dakota7,350$27,030$28,990$37,290
Indiana43,620$17,640$28,480$48,350
Tennessee52,120$15,080$27,760$47,660
Alabama28,760$16,550$26,840$36,090
Nevada42,520$24,960$26,410$50,140
Alaska3,830$24,770$26,310$64,080
Minnesota37,630$23,150$25,470$41,800
Arkansas17,880$23,040$24,680$43,810
Wyoming3,620$18,000$23,920$56,260
Montana7,200$21,940$23,370$45,420
Texas199,610$17,070$23,240$47,590
Puerto Rico12,260$21,840$22,790$44,140
Mississippi15,190$15,330$21,370$39,420
Iowa22,410$15,080$21,000$47,980
Guam1,550$19,920$20,320$23,170
Georgia76,470$15,080$18,700$46,860
South Carolina47,200$15,080$18,370$46,820
Oklahoma27,000$15,230$17,910$47,630
Louisiana33,870$15,080$15,080$38,060

Other food preparation and serving related occupations

Questions this page answers

What is the national median wage for Waiters and Waitresses?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, the national median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses is $35,230. Employment is 2,270,910.

How does Waiters and Waitresses pay compare with all occupations?

The national median for Waiters and Waitresses is 30.9% lower than the all-occupations median of $50,980.

Which metro has the highest published median for Waiters and Waitresses?

Among metros with a published annual median in the May 2025 tables, Kahului-Wailuku, HI is highest on this page's list at $82,550.