Waiters and Waitresses
SOC code 35-3031 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18,100 | $8.70 |
| 25th percentile | $27,750 | $13.34 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $35,230 | $16.94 |
| 75th percentile | $47,110 | $22.65 |
| 90th percentile | $64,720 | $31.12 |
See where a wage ranks
Estimate only, based on linear interpolation between this occupation's BLS OEWS reported percentiles above.
Wages by state (May 2024)
State-level employment and wage estimates for Waiters and Waitresses (SOC 35-3031), from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) State estimates, May 2024. Data available for 51 of 51 states/DC for this occupation.
| State | Employment | Mean annual | Median annual | 10th pctl annual | 25th pctl annual | 75th pctl annual | 90th pctl annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 28,540 | $24,420 | $21,920 | $15,950 | $17,130 | $28,020 | $35,560 |
| Alaska | 3,980 | $37,710 | $27,370 | $24,400 | $24,440 | $37,550 | $79,560 |
| Arizona | 55,010 | $47,660 | $36,730 | $29,850 | $30,990 | $60,480 | $77,790 |
| Arkansas | 17,820 | $29,380 | $26,350 | $22,880 | $23,770 | $29,580 | $44,430 |
| California | 243,300 | $44,250 | $35,290 | $33,310 | $34,230 | $39,210 | $70,450 |
| Colorado | 42,510 | $46,950 | $34,990 | $29,990 | $30,440 | $61,300 | $78,050 |
| Connecticut | 21,720 | $45,590 | $36,440 | $32,640 | $32,640 | $49,290 | $72,880 |
| Delaware | 8,040 | $39,820 | $33,750 | $27,560 | $27,560 | $45,790 | $61,900 |
| District of Columbia | 10,540 | $52,330 | $45,770 | $35,360 | $35,360 | $61,140 | $82,200 |
| Florida | 208,920 | $39,040 | $29,580 | $24,960 | $26,480 | $45,430 | $64,990 |
| Georgia | 71,870 | $27,340 | $20,040 | $15,080 | $16,190 | $34,590 | $47,060 |
| Hawaii | 13,830 | $59,710 | $48,570 | $29,120 | $29,120 | $78,060 | $105,480 |
| Idaho | 11,590 | $33,780 | $30,540 | $16,920 | $18,320 | $39,470 | $59,760 |
| Illinois | 84,550 | $34,700 | $29,120 | $29,120 | $29,120 | $35,790 | $47,830 |
| Indiana | 43,880 | $30,970 | $27,420 | $17,410 | $19,190 | $37,550 | $48,000 |
| Iowa | 21,440 | $29,710 | $26,140 | $15,080 | $18,230 | $38,510 | $49,380 |
| Kansas | 20,290 | $35,080 | $31,560 | $15,850 | $19,770 | $46,050 | $60,170 |
| Kentucky | 27,800 | $29,120 | $22,260 | $15,880 | $16,830 | $36,660 | $50,200 |
| Louisiana | 33,170 | $24,240 | $16,880 | $15,080 | $15,080 | $29,070 | $43,690 |
| Maine | 8,540 | $52,390 | $44,550 | $29,950 | $32,860 | $65,160 | $95,720 |
| Maryland | 37,680 | $41,640 | $35,140 | $31,200 | $31,200 | $45,330 | $60,980 |
| Massachusetts | 50,160 | $44,550 | $36,390 | $31,400 | $34,230 | $48,590 | $70,560 |
| Michigan | 64,920 | $40,530 | $35,940 | $22,010 | $26,970 | $47,770 | $63,800 |
| Minnesota | 38,540 | $27,970 | $24,470 | $22,570 | $23,110 | $28,900 | $35,120 |
| Mississippi | 16,160 | $24,490 | $20,340 | $15,930 | $16,800 | $29,220 | $37,740 |
| Missouri | 43,360 | $32,790 | $26,950 | $25,580 | $25,580 | $36,500 | $48,270 |
| Montana | 7,630 | $28,660 | $22,630 | $21,420 | $21,650 | $27,340 | $44,580 |
| Nebraska | 12,930 | $39,660 | $34,000 | $24,960 | $26,190 | $47,460 | $61,050 |
| Nevada | 39,910 | $31,660 | $24,960 | $22,790 | $23,270 | $32,900 | $35,760 |
| New Hampshire | 10,840 | $44,310 | $39,270 | $21,960 | $30,230 | $56,440 | $69,190 |
| New Jersey | 56,560 | $49,510 | $38,720 | $31,590 | $34,700 | $58,010 | $79,090 |
| New Mexico | 13,370 | $38,420 | $30,440 | $25,770 | $27,650 | $46,450 | $59,880 |
| New York | 140,890 | $53,360 | $46,460 | $31,900 | $33,540 | $62,590 | $84,810 |
| North Carolina | 74,110 | $32,670 | $28,460 | $17,210 | $18,440 | $39,600 | $58,390 |
| North Dakota | 5,290 | $35,600 | $29,420 | $17,910 | $20,940 | $45,580 | $62,520 |
| Ohio | 76,260 | $38,910 | $36,030 | $22,860 | $27,720 | $46,720 | $60,120 |
| Oklahoma | 26,460 | $27,920 | $19,890 | $16,190 | $17,250 | $29,140 | $47,030 |
| Oregon | 22,920 | $42,530 | $33,930 | $29,840 | $31,030 | $49,300 | $65,550 |
| Pennsylvania | 82,920 | $36,610 | $30,300 | $18,350 | $22,600 | $45,620 | $60,510 |
| Rhode Island | 11,010 | $43,930 | $42,600 | $29,120 | $29,120 | $52,900 | $63,260 |
| South Carolina | 43,730 | $24,360 | $18,530 | $15,080 | $16,510 | $27,900 | $40,230 |
| South Dakota | 7,080 | $30,780 | $29,080 | $25,590 | $27,420 | $33,760 | $37,560 |
| Tennessee | 53,400 | $30,390 | $28,410 | $15,080 | $19,290 | $38,470 | $48,420 |
| Texas | 210,170 | $31,730 | $27,930 | $17,710 | $18,920 | $37,770 | $49,200 |
| Utah | 18,030 | $34,030 | $29,860 | $16,680 | $21,160 | $45,340 | $57,650 |
| Vermont | 3,730 | $61,610 | $60,910 | $29,300 | $37,140 | $79,120 | $98,650 |
| Virginia | 61,260 | $43,130 | $36,990 | $27,550 | $29,010 | $49,990 | $69,410 |
| Washington | 43,720 | $55,520 | $47,490 | $34,910 | $41,940 | $61,420 | $91,730 |
| West Virginia | 9,190 | $36,650 | $30,320 | $19,310 | $21,250 | $45,600 | $59,380 |
| Wisconsin | 39,510 | $32,370 | $29,050 | $17,100 | $21,880 | $38,240 | $48,120 |
| Wyoming | 3,710 | $31,240 | $25,340 | $17,340 | $18,670 | $41,930 | $53,250 |
Hourly by-state wages are in the source dataset but not rendered here (annual only, to keep this table a manageable width); see the source link below for the full file. BLS suppresses some state-level figures for reliability: an em dash (—) means BLS did not publish that figure for this state and occupation. Per BLS’s own field definitions: "*" = a wage estimate is not available; "**" = an employment estimate is not available; "#" = a wage equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year (all three are shown here as —, not guessed). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), State occupational employment and wage estimates, May 2024.
Similar-paying occupations in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
- Food Preparation Workers 35-2021$35,320/yr
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant 35-3041$35,360/yr
- Dishwashers 35-9021$34,810/yr
- Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other 35-9099$35,840/yr
- Cooks, Short Order 35-2015$35,880/yr
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 estimates. Wage figures are BLS OEWS estimates and may not reflect current pay.