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

How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Kennewick-Richland, WA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Kennewick-Richland, WA is $51,460. The 10th percentile is $35,340 and the 90th percentile is $89,410. Employment is 1,510.

Median annual wage

$51,460

10th percentile
$35,340
25th percentile
$44,530
Median
$51,460
75th percentile
$66,480
90th percentile
$89,410
Mean
$58,600

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 $35,340 and the 90th percentile is $89,410. The difference is $54,070, which is 105.1% 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 $44,530 to the 75th at $66,480, covers $21,950.

The mean annual wage is $58,600, which sits above the median of $51,460. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Kennewick-Richland, WA median is 46.1% higher than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $51,419, which is 46% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 8.3% lower than the Washington median of $56,130.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Kennewick-Richland, WA is 100.079, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $51,460 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $51,419 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. Kennewick-Richland, WA ranks 8th 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).).

  • Walla Walla, WA is 38 miles away, with a median of $56,730 and employment of 340. That median is 10.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $57,583, against $51,419 here.
  • Yakima, WA is 71 miles away, with a median of $49,060 and employment of 1,000. That median is 4.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $51,348, against $51,419 here.
  • Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA is 108 miles away, with a median of $49,820 and employment of 960. That median is 3.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $47,971, against $51,419 here.

Employment share

Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.2% of wage-and-salary employment in Kennewick-Richland, WA (1,510 of 129,490). 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 Kennewick-Richland, WA · 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 Kennewick-Richland, WA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Kennewick-Richland, WA is $51,460. The 10th percentile is $35,340 and the 90th percentile is $89,410. Employment is 1,510.

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

The local median is 46.1% higher than the national median of $35,230.

What is Waiters and Waitresses pay in Kennewick-Richland, WA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Kennewick-Richland, WA is 100.079, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $51,460 is $51,419. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Kennewick-Richland, WA compare with nearby metros for Waiters and Waitresses?

Walla Walla, WA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 38 miles away, at $56,730. Kennewick-Richland, WA ranks 8th of 14 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.