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

How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Janesville-Beloit, WI?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Janesville-Beloit, WI is $28,990. The 10th percentile is $16,870 and the 90th percentile is $61,050. Employment is 820.

Median annual wage

$28,990

10th percentile
$16,870
25th percentile
$20,170
Median
$28,990
75th percentile
$45,660
90th percentile
$61,050
Mean
$34,280

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Warehouse workers driving forklifts loaded with goods
Forklift operators in a Miami warehouse, 2011. Photograph by U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Percentile spread

For Waiters and Waitresses, the published 10th percentile is $16,870 and the 90th percentile is $61,050. The difference is $44,180, which is 152.4% 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 $20,170 to the 75th at $45,660, covers $25,490.

The mean annual wage is $34,280, which sits above the median of $28,990. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Janesville-Beloit, WI median is 17.7% lower than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $30,938, which is 12.2% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 2.3% lower than the Wisconsin median of $29,670.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Janesville-Beloit, WI is 93.703, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $28,990 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $30,938 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

34 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Waiters and Waitresses. Janesville-Beloit, WI ranks 24th of 35 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).).

  • Rockford, IL is 23 miles away, with a median of $31,200 and employment of 1,710. That median is 7.6% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $33,856, against $30,938 here.
  • Madison, WI is 39 miles away, with a median of $30,910 and employment of 5,130. That median is 6.6% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $31,772, against $30,938 here.
  • Kenosha, WI is 61 miles away, with a median of $29,480 and employment of 960. That median is 1.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $29,154, against $30,938 here.

Employment share

Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.2% of wage-and-salary employment in Janesville-Beloit, WI (820 of 69,870). Nationally the occupation is 1.5% of employment (2,270,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.80 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 Janesville-Beloit, WI · 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 Janesville-Beloit, WI?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Janesville-Beloit, WI is $28,990. The 10th percentile is $16,870 and the 90th percentile is $61,050. Employment is 820.

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

The local median is 17.7% lower than the national median of $35,230.

What is Waiters and Waitresses pay in Janesville-Beloit, WI after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Janesville-Beloit, WI is 93.703, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $28,990 is $30,938. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Janesville-Beloit, WI compare with nearby metros for Waiters and Waitresses?

Rockford, IL is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 23 miles away, at $31,200. Janesville-Beloit, WI ranks 24th of 35 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.