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

How much do Waiters and Waitresses make in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Sioux Falls, SD-MN is $29,920. The 10th percentile is $28,020 and the 90th percentile is $39,060. Employment is 2,550.

Median annual wage

$29,920

10th percentile
$28,020
25th percentile
$28,990
Median
$29,920
75th percentile
$34,560
90th percentile
$39,060
Mean
$32,020

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder working in a workshop
A welder at a workshop bench. Photograph by ABDULIUMAR. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Waiters and Waitresses, the published 10th percentile is $28,020 and the 90th percentile is $39,060. The difference is $11,040, which is 36.9% 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 $28,990 to the 75th at $34,560, covers $5,570.

The mean annual wage is $32,020, which sits above the median of $29,920. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Sioux Falls, SD-MN median is 15.1% lower than the national median of $35,230 for Waiters and Waitresses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $33,013, which is 6.3% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 3.2% higher than the South Dakota median of $28,990.

Sioux Falls, SD-MN covers more than one state. The state comparison uses South Dakota, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Sioux Falls, SD-MN is 90.631, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $29,920 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Waiters and Waitresses at $33,013 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

7 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Waiters and Waitresses. Sioux Falls, SD-MN ranks 3rd of 8 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).).

  • Sioux City, IA-NE-SD is 76 miles away, with a median of $26,430 and employment of 1,030. That median is 11.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $30,571, against $33,013 here.
  • Mankato, MN is 143 miles away, with a median of $23,330 and employment of 770. That median is 22% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $25,650, against $33,013 here.
  • Omaha, NE-IA is 161 miles away, with a median of $34,290 and employment of 7,620. That median is 14.6% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $37,308, against $33,013 here.

Employment share

Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.4% of wage-and-salary employment in Sioux Falls, SD-MN (2,550 of 178,590). Nationally the occupation is 1.5% of employment (2,270,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.98 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 Sioux Falls, SD-MN · 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 Sioux Falls, SD-MN?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Sioux Falls, SD-MN is $29,920. The 10th percentile is $28,020 and the 90th percentile is $39,060. Employment is 2,550.

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

The local median is 15.1% lower than the national median of $35,230.

What is Waiters and Waitresses pay in Sioux Falls, SD-MN after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Sioux Falls, SD-MN is 90.631, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $29,920 is $33,013. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Sioux Falls, SD-MN compare with nearby metros for Waiters and Waitresses?

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 76 miles away, at $26,430. Sioux Falls, SD-MN ranks 3rd of 8 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.