How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?

Percentile spread

For Waiters and Waitresses, the published 10th percentile is $34,320 and the 90th percentile is $77,810. The difference is $43,490, which is 125.0% 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 $34,320 to the 75th at $45,590, covers $11,270.

The mean annual wage is $45,660, which sits above the median of $34,800. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median is 1.2% lower than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $32,694, which is 7.2% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 3.5% lower than the California median of $36,080.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is 106.442, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $34,800 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $32,694 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. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ranks 6th 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).).

• San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is 111 miles away, with a median of $35,850 and employment of 24,050. That median is 3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,041, against $32,694 here.
• El Centro, CA is 113 miles away, with a median of $34,320 and employment of 480. That median is 1.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $36,060, against $32,694 here.
• Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is 121 miles away, with a median of $35,850 and employment of 85,210. That median is 3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $31,568, against $32,694 here.

Employment share

Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.2% of wage-and-salary employment in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (20,810 of 1,716,760). Nationally the occupation is 1.5% of employment (2,270,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.83 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.