How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Appleton, WI?

Percentile spread

For Waiters and Waitresses, the published 10th percentile is $17,270 and the 90th percentile is $64,690. The difference is $47,420, which is 156.1% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $21,390 to the 75th at $47,010, covers $25,620.

The mean annual wage is $36,600, which sits above the median of $30,370. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Appleton, WI median is 13.8% lower than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $32,861, which is 6.7% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 2.4% higher than the Wisconsin median of $29,670.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Appleton, WI is 92.419, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $30,370 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $32,861 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

20 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Waiters and Waitresses. Appleton, WI ranks 8th of 21 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Oshkosh-Neenah, WI is 20 miles away, with a median of $29,840 and employment of 950. That median is 1.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,111, against $32,861 here.
• Green Bay, WI is 22 miles away, with a median of $29,610 and employment of 2,170. That median is 2.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $31,809, against $32,861 here.
• Fond du Lac, WI is 38 miles away, with a median of $28,980 and employment of 430. That median is 4.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $31,623, against $32,861 here.

Employment share

Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.2% of wage-and-salary employment in Appleton, WI (1,490 of 124,230). Nationally the occupation is 1.5% of employment (2,270,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.82 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.