SOC 35-3031 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025
How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA is $35,750. The 10th percentile is $31,200 and the 90th percentile is $62,680. Employment is 13,600.
Median annual wage
$35,750
- 10th percentile
- $31,200
- 25th percentile
- $31,200
- Median
- $35,750
- 75th percentile
- $50,340
- 90th percentile
- $62,680
- Mean
- $42,400
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Waiters and Waitresses, the published 10th percentile is $31,200 and the 90th percentile is $62,680. The difference is $31,480, which is 88.1% 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 $31,200 to the 75th at $50,340, covers $19,140.
The mean annual wage is $42,400, which sits above the median of $35,750. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Providence-Warwick, RI-MA median is 1.5% higher than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $35,127, which is 0.3% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 0.9% higher than the Rhode Island median of $35,420.
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Rhode Island, the primary state on the BLS area record.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Providence-Warwick, RI-MA is 101.773, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $35,750 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $35,127 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.
Nearby metros
19 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Waiters and Waitresses. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA ranks 20th of 20 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).).
- Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT is 45 miles away, with a median of $37,880 and employment of 2,620. That median is 6% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $37,712, against $35,127 here.
- Worcester, MA is 54 miles away, with a median of $36,840 and employment of 4,610. That median is 3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $35,933, against $35,127 here.
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH is 58 miles away, with a median of $39,270 and employment of 41,570. That median is 9.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $36,272, against $35,127 here.
Employment share
Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.9% of wage-and-salary employment in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA (13,600 of 714,120). Nationally the occupation is 1.5% of employment (2,270,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.30 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 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA · 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 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA is $35,750. The 10th percentile is $31,200 and the 90th percentile is $62,680. Employment is 13,600.
How does that compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The local median is 1.5% higher than the national median of $35,230.
What is Waiters and Waitresses pay in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Providence-Warwick, RI-MA is 101.773, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $35,750 is $35,127. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Providence-Warwick, RI-MA compare with nearby metros for Waiters and Waitresses?
Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 45 miles away, at $37,880. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA ranks 20th of 20 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.