SOC 35-3031 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025
How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Goldsboro, NC?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Goldsboro, NC is $28,530. The 10th percentile is $15,970 and the 90th percentile is $56,270. Employment is 640.
Median annual wage
$28,530
- 10th percentile
- $15,970
- 25th percentile
- $17,750
- Median
- $28,530
- 75th percentile
- $44,920
- 90th percentile
- $56,270
- Mean
- $33,910
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Waiters and Waitresses, the published 10th percentile is $15,970 and the 90th percentile is $56,270. The difference is $40,300, which is 141.3% 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 $17,750 to the 75th at $44,920, covers $27,170.
The mean annual wage is $33,910, which sits above the median of $28,530. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Goldsboro, NC median is 19% lower than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $32,251, which is 8.5% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 11.3% lower than the North Carolina median of $32,150.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Goldsboro, NC is 88.462, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $28,530 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $32,251 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.
Nearby metros
24 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Waiters and Waitresses. Goldsboro, NC ranks 19th of 25 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).).
- Raleigh-Cary, NC is 38 miles away, with a median of $34,860 and employment of 10,290. That median is 22.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $35,515, against $32,251 here.
- Greenville, NC is 39 miles away, with a median of $28,680 and employment of 1,310. That median is 0.5% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,443, against $32,251 here.
- Rocky Mount, NC is 42 miles away, with a median of $26,900 and employment of 580. That median is 5.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $30,564, against $32,251 here.
Employment share
Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.6% of wage-and-salary employment in Goldsboro, NC (640 of 40,320). Nationally the occupation is 1.5% of employment (2,270,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.09 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.
Highest-paying jobs in Goldsboro, NC · Waiters and Waitresses by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices
Questions this page answers
How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Goldsboro, NC?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Goldsboro, NC is $28,530. The 10th percentile is $15,970 and the 90th percentile is $56,270. Employment is 640.
How does that compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The local median is 19% lower than the national median of $35,230.
What is Waiters and Waitresses pay in Goldsboro, NC after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Goldsboro, NC is 88.462, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $28,530 is $32,251. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Goldsboro, NC compare with nearby metros for Waiters and Waitresses?
Raleigh-Cary, NC is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 38 miles away, at $34,860. Goldsboro, NC ranks 19th of 25 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.