How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?

Percentile spread

For Waiters and Waitresses, the published 10th percentile is $34,380 and the 90th percentile is $59,200. The difference is $24,820, which is 69.2% 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 $35,010 to the 75th at $37,230, covers $2,220.

The mean annual wage is $42,640, which sits above the median of $35,850. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median is 1.8% higher than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $31,568, which is 10.4% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 0.6% lower than the California median of $36,080.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is 113.566, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $35,850 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $31,568 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

9 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Waiters and Waitresses. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ranks 1st of 10 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).).

• Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA is 57 miles away, with a median of $34,910 and employment of 4,530. That median is 2.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $31,583, against $31,568 here.
• Bakersfield-Delano, CA is 91 miles away, with a median of $34,320 and employment of 2,920. That median is 4.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $34,019, against $31,568 here.
• Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA is 110 miles away, with a median of $35,260 and employment of 3,540. That median is 1.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,409, against $31,568 here.

Employment share

Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.4% of wage-and-salary employment in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (85,210 of 6,271,560). Nationally the occupation is 1.5% of employment (2,270,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.93 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.