SOC 35-3031 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025

How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $22,080. The 10th percentile is $17,480 and the 90th percentile is $47,290. Employment is 51,330.

Median annual wage

$22,080

10th percentile
$17,480
25th percentile
$17,870
Median
$22,080
75th percentile
$37,390
90th percentile
$47,290
Mean
$29,180

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder in a green hard hat working on a metal structure
A welder in a hard hat on a metal structure. Photograph by FBenjr123. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Waiters and Waitresses, the published 10th percentile is $17,480 and the 90th percentile is $47,290. The difference is $29,810, which is 135.0% 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 $17,870 to the 75th at $37,390, covers $19,520.

The mean annual wage is $29,180, which sits above the median of $22,080. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median is 37.3% lower than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $22,387, which is 36.5% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 5% lower than the Texas median of $23,240.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is 98.629, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $22,080 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $22,387 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

13 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Waiters and Waitresses. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX ranks 11th of 14 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).).

  • Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX is 71 miles away, with a median of $22,400 and employment of 2,250. That median is 1.4% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $24,876, against $22,387 here.
  • College Station-Bryan, TX is 95 miles away, with a median of $22,800 and employment of 2,410. That median is 3.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $25,068, against $22,387 here.
  • Lake Charles, LA is 130 miles away, with a median of $15,080 and employment of 1,950. That median is 31.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $17,565, against $22,387 here.

Employment share

Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.6% of wage-and-salary employment in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (51,330 of 3,289,720). Nationally the occupation is 1.5% of employment (2,270,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.07 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX · 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $22,080. The 10th percentile is $17,480 and the 90th percentile is $47,290. Employment is 51,330.

How does that compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?

The local median is 37.3% lower than the national median of $35,230.

What is Waiters and Waitresses pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is 98.629, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $22,080 is $22,387. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX compare with nearby metros for Waiters and Waitresses?

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 71 miles away, at $22,400. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX ranks 11th of 14 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.