How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Grand Island, NE?

Percentile spread

For Waiters and Waitresses, the published 10th percentile is $28,080 and the 90th percentile is $58,120. The difference is $30,040, which is 100.7% 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 $28,140 to the 75th at $46,220, covers $18,080.

The mean annual wage is $38,690, which sits above the median of $29,840. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Grand Island, NE median is 15.3% lower than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $34,435, which is 2.3% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 11.6% lower than the Nebraska median of $33,770.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Grand Island, NE is 86.657, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $29,840 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $34,435 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

6 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Waiters and Waitresses. Grand Island, NE ranks 6th of 7 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).).

• Lincoln, NE is 81 miles away, with a median of $36,080 and employment of 2,520. That median is 20.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $39,397, against $34,435 here.
• Omaha, NE-IA is 124 miles away, with a median of $34,290 and employment of 7,620. That median is 14.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $37,308, against $34,435 here.
• Sioux City, IA-NE-SD is 145 miles away, with a median of $26,430 and employment of 1,030. That median is 11.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $30,571, against $34,435 here.

Employment share

Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.4% of wage-and-salary employment in Grand Island, NE (570 of 39,520). Nationally the occupation is 1.5% of employment (2,270,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.99 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.