Bartenders
Median $34,340
Occupation · SOC 35-3031
Waiters and Waitresses: pay and where the jobs are
What waiters and waitresses earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$35,230 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $40,060
- Median hourly wage
- $16.94
- Mean hourly wage
- $19.26
- Employment
- 2,270,910
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 35-3031.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among waiters and waitresses nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do waiters and waitresses make?
The median annual wage for waiters and waitresses was $35,230 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $18,100 and the highest-paid 10% more than $64,720. As an hourly rate, the median is $16.94. About 2,270,910 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Hawaii ($62,390), Vermont ($59,140) and Washington ($56,130). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Vermont.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for waiters and waitresses looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18,100 | $8.70 | $1,508 | $1,376 |
| 25th percentile | $27,750 | $13.34 | $2,313 | $2,039 |
| Median | $35,230 | $16.94 | $2,936 | $2,541 |
| 75th percentile | $47,110 | $22.65 | $3,926 | $3,336 |
| 90th percentile | $64,720 | $31.12 | $5,393 | $4,515 |
Waiters and Waitresses: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$49,155 take-home in national prices
2
$44,620 take-home in national prices
3
$43,454 take-home in national prices
Where a median waiters and waitresse paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 14,090 | $62,390 | $29,120 | $119,870 | $49,061 | $44,620 |
| Vermont | 4,040 | $59,140 | $29,690 | $89,330 | $48,152 | $49,155 |
| Washington | 45,400 | $56,130 | $36,710 | $94,930 | $46,502 | $43,454 |
| Oregon | 23,040 | $48,410 | $31,200 | $77,620 | $37,705 | $36,479 |
| District of Columbia | 11,530 | $47,850 | $36,400 | $100,240 | $38,922 | $35,416 |
| New York | 142,940 | $47,020 | $33,540 | $83,210 | $37,784 | $35,011 |
| New Jersey | 55,800 | $44,960 | $32,220 | $78,510 | $36,990 | $33,996 |
| Colorado | 40,680 | $44,860 | $30,800 | $78,160 | $36,762 | $35,673 |
| Virginia | 59,370 | $44,760 | $28,270 | $74,130 | $36,385 | $35,988 |
| Arizona | 55,950 | $43,950 | $30,580 | $78,920 | $36,789 | $36,541 |
| Maine | 9,090 | $43,370 | $30,490 | $82,930 | $35,513 | $36,593 |
| Massachusetts | 54,670 | $38,460 | $31,790 | $62,200 | $31,203 | $29,504 |
| New Hampshire | 10,030 | $38,430 | $21,060 | $72,810 | $33,059 | $31,737 |
| Connecticut | 22,370 | $37,770 | $34,010 | $72,060 | $31,205 | $30,117 |
| Michigan | 65,090 | $37,760 | $25,960 | $64,350 | $31,166 | $32,391 |
| New Mexico | 12,740 | $36,920 | $26,670 | $69,410 | $31,225 | $33,862 |
| Delaware | 7,580 | $36,880 | $31,200 | $62,000 | $30,296 | $30,354 |
| Maryland | 38,120 | $36,750 | $31,200 | $62,210 | $30,329 | $28,896 |
| Ohio | 77,250 | $36,700 | $23,820 | $63,740 | $31,110 | $33,533 |
| Virgin Islands | 690 | $36,340 | $23,200 | $80,510 | — | — |
| Florida | 207,180 | $36,150 | $27,230 | $63,580 | $31,227 | $30,196 |
| Kansas | 19,480 | $36,120 | $17,370 | $62,890 | $29,987 | $33,293 |
| California | 229,970 | $36,080 | $34,320 | $68,950 | $30,275 | $27,344 |
| Rhode Island | 10,160 | $35,420 | $31,200 | $62,680 | $29,539 | $28,880 |
| West Virginia | 8,600 | $35,380 | $20,230 | $60,560 | $29,711 | $33,197 |
| Pennsylvania | 82,300 | $34,690 | $18,400 | $61,780 | $28,964 | $29,685 |
| Nebraska | 13,310 | $33,770 | $28,080 | $59,420 | $28,657 | $31,805 |
| North Carolina | 71,940 | $32,150 | $17,140 | $62,670 | $27,238 | $28,877 |
| Illinois | 72,900 | $31,200 | $31,200 | $49,470 | $25,850 | $25,860 |
| Utah | 17,790 | $31,150 | $18,550 | $60,320 | $26,621 | $26,927 |
| North Dakota | 5,250 | $30,890 | $18,470 | $60,570 | $27,000 | $30,351 |
| Idaho | 10,950 | $30,050 | $16,770 | $62,220 | $25,841 | $27,060 |
| Wisconsin | 36,220 | $29,670 | $16,830 | $61,770 | $25,445 | $27,042 |
| Kentucky | 27,150 | $29,660 | $16,520 | $62,030 | $25,091 | $27,830 |
| Missouri | 41,640 | $29,400 | $28,600 | $61,440 | $25,358 | $27,923 |
| South Dakota | 7,350 | $28,990 | $27,030 | $37,290 | $25,473 | $28,756 |
| Indiana | 43,620 | $28,480 | $17,640 | $48,350 | $24,253 | $25,986 |
| Tennessee | 52,120 | $27,760 | $15,080 | $47,660 | $24,470 | $26,636 |
| Alabama | 28,760 | $26,840 | $16,550 | $36,090 | $22,687 | $25,542 |
| Nevada | 42,520 | $26,410 | $24,960 | $50,140 | $23,359 | $23,364 |
| Alaska | 3,830 | $26,310 | $24,770 | $64,080 | $23,145 | $22,611 |
| Minnesota | 37,630 | $25,470 | $23,150 | $41,800 | $21,928 | $22,235 |
| Arkansas | 17,880 | $24,680 | $23,040 | $43,810 | $21,496 | $24,726 |
| Wyoming | 3,620 | $23,920 | $18,000 | $56,260 | $21,308 | $22,988 |
| Montana | 7,200 | $23,370 | $21,940 | $45,420 | $20,514 | $21,674 |
| Texas | 199,610 | $23,240 | $17,070 | $47,590 | $20,748 | $21,377 |
| Puerto Rico | 12,260 | $22,790 | $21,840 | $44,140 | — | — |
| Mississippi | 15,190 | $21,370 | $15,330 | $39,420 | $19,085 | $21,949 |
| Iowa | 22,410 | $21,000 | $15,080 | $47,980 | $18,757 | $21,373 |
| Guam | 1,550 | $20,320 | $19,920 | $23,170 | — | — |
| Georgia | 76,470 | $18,700 | $15,080 | $46,860 | $16,825 | $17,473 |
| South Carolina | 47,200 | $18,370 | $15,080 | $46,820 | $16,671 | $17,782 |
| Oklahoma | 27,000 | $17,910 | $15,230 | $47,630 | $16,098 | $18,326 |
| Louisiana | 33,870 | $15,080 | $15,080 | $38,060 | $13,860 | $15,713 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 35-3031. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.