occupation · 35-3031 · detailed
Waiters and Waitresses — wages and employment
Waiters and Waitresses earned a median annual wage of $33,760 in the United States in May 2024, with 2,302,690 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Waiters and Waitresses earned a median annual wage of $33,760 in the United States in May 2024, with 2,302,690 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $18,500 or less, the best-paid tenth $62,510 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $31,940 to $33,760, +5.7 %. The best-paying state is Vermont at $60,910; the lowest Louisiana at $16,880. Among metropolitan areas, Kahului-Wailuku, HI pays the highest median, $71,920. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 2,302,690 | $33,760 | $38,360 | $18,500 | $25,690 | $45,350 | $62,510 | $16.23 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 2,237,850 | $31,940 | $36,530 | $18,600 | $23,770 | $41,600 | $60,100 | $15.36 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | $60,910 | 3,730 |
| Hawaii | $48,570 | 13,830 |
| Washington | $47,490 | 43,720 |
| New York | $46,460 | 140,890 |
| District of Columbia | $45,770 | 10,540 |
| Maine | $44,550 | 8,540 |
| Rhode Island | $42,600 | 11,010 |
| New Hampshire | $39,270 | 10,840 |
| New Jersey | $38,720 | 56,560 |
| Virginia | $36,990 | 61,260 |
| Arizona | $36,730 | 55,010 |
| Connecticut | $36,440 | 21,720 |
| Massachusetts | $36,390 | 50,160 |
| Ohio | $36,030 | 76,260 |
| Michigan | $35,940 | 64,920 |
| California | $35,290 | 243,300 |
| Maryland | $35,140 | 37,680 |
| Colorado | $34,990 | 42,510 |
| Nebraska | $34,000 | 12,930 |
| Oregon | $33,930 | 22,920 |
| Delaware | $33,750 | 8,040 |
| Virgin Islands | $32,230 | 800 |
| Kansas | $31,560 | 20,290 |
| Idaho | $30,540 | 11,590 |
| New Mexico | $30,440 | 13,370 |
| West Virginia | $30,320 | 9,190 |
| Pennsylvania | $30,300 | 82,920 |
| Utah | $29,860 | 18,030 |
| Florida | $29,580 | 208,920 |
| North Dakota | $29,420 | 5,290 |
| Illinois | $29,120 | 84,550 |
| South Dakota | $29,080 | 7,080 |
| Wisconsin | $29,050 | 39,510 |
| North Carolina | $28,460 | 74,110 |
| Tennessee | $28,410 | 53,400 |
| Texas | $27,930 | 210,170 |
| Indiana | $27,420 | 43,880 |
| Alaska | $27,370 | 3,980 |
| Missouri | $26,950 | 43,360 |
| Arkansas | $26,350 | 17,820 |
| Iowa | $26,140 | 21,440 |
| Wyoming | $25,340 | 3,710 |
| Nevada | $24,960 | 39,910 |
| Minnesota | $24,470 | 38,540 |
| Montana | $22,630 | 7,630 |
| Kentucky | $22,260 | 27,800 |
| Alabama | $21,920 | 28,540 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,290 | 14,700 |
| Guam | $20,480 | 1,350 |
| Mississippi | $20,340 | 16,160 |
| Georgia | $20,040 | 71,870 |
| Oklahoma | $19,890 | 26,460 |
| South Carolina | $18,530 | 43,730 |
| Louisiana | $16,880 | 33,170 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $71,920 | 2,460 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $66,350 | 1,510 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $48,760 | 25,860 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $48,110 | 6,100 |
| Syracuse, NY | $47,830 | 3,640 |
| Binghamton, NY | $47,650 | 1,430 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $47,560 | 780 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | $47,380 | 1,700 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $47,080 | 1,330 |
| Kingston, NY | $46,860 | 1,450 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $46,820 | 8,260 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $46,610 | 4,170 |
| Ithaca, NY | $46,610 | 610 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $46,390 | 1,400 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $46,280 | 1,380 |
| Bellingham, WA | $46,100 | 1,380 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $45,540 | 950 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $45,530 | 3,000 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | $45,340 | 410 |
| Boulder, CO | $45,330 | 2,940 |
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