How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Columbia, SC?

Percentile spread

For Waiters and Waitresses, the published 10th percentile is $15,080 and the 90th percentile is $43,540. The difference is $28,460, which is 159.8% 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 $16,390 to the 75th at $22,050, covers $5,660.

The mean annual wage is $23,610, which sits above the median of $17,810. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Columbia, SC median is 49.4% lower than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $19,015, which is 46% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 3% lower than the South Carolina median of $18,370.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Columbia, SC is 93.662, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $17,810 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $19,015 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

31 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Waiters and Waitresses. Columbia, SC ranks 28th of 32 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).).

• Sumter, SC is 39 miles away, with a median of $17,440 and employment of 490. That median is 2.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $19,814, against $19,015 here.
• Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC is 69 miles away, with a median of $18,390 and employment of 3,820. That median is 3.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $20,010, against $19,015 here.
• Spartanburg, SC is 70 miles away, with a median of $18,370 and employment of 2,140. That median is 3.1% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $20,176, against $19,015 here.

Employment share

Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.7% of wage-and-salary employment in Columbia, SC (6,580 of 394,200). Nationally the occupation is 1.5% of employment (2,270,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.14 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.