SOC 35-3031 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025
How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Greenville, NC?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Greenville, NC is $28,680. The 10th percentile is $16,150 and the 90th percentile is $57,360. Employment is 1,310.
Median annual wage
$28,680
- 10th percentile
- $16,150
- 25th percentile
- $18,230
- Median
- $28,680
- 75th percentile
- $45,970
- 90th percentile
- $57,360
- Mean
- $34,200
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Waiters and Waitresses, the published 10th percentile is $16,150 and the 90th percentile is $57,360. The difference is $41,210, which is 143.7% 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 $18,230 to the 75th at $45,970, covers $27,740.
The mean annual wage is $34,200, which sits above the median of $28,680. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Greenville, NC median is 18.6% lower than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $32,443, which is 7.9% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 10.8% lower than the North Carolina median of $32,150.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Greenville, NC is 88.402, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $28,680 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $32,443 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. Greenville, NC ranks 17th 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).).
- Rocky Mount, NC is 34 miles away, with a median of $26,900 and employment of 580. That median is 6.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $30,564, against $32,443 here.
- Goldsboro, NC is 39 miles away, with a median of $28,530 and employment of 640. That median is 0.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,251, against $32,443 here.
- Jacksonville, NC is 58 miles away, with a median of $28,870 and employment of 1,140. That median is 0.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $31,351, against $32,443 here.
Employment share
Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.6% of wage-and-salary employment in Greenville, NC (1,310 of 80,770). Nationally the occupation is 1.5% of employment (2,270,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.11 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 Greenville, 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 Greenville, NC?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Greenville, NC is $28,680. The 10th percentile is $16,150 and the 90th percentile is $57,360. Employment is 1,310.
How does that compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The local median is 18.6% lower than the national median of $35,230.
What is Waiters and Waitresses pay in Greenville, NC after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Greenville, NC is 88.402, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $28,680 is $32,443. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Greenville, NC compare with nearby metros for Waiters and Waitresses?
Rocky Mount, NC is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 34 miles away, at $26,900. Greenville, NC ranks 17th of 21 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.