Waiters and Waitresses
With 243,300 professionals, Waiters and Waitresses is a significant occupation in the U.S. workforce. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 8.1% over recent years.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Waiters and Waitresses workforce.
Employment Over Time
243,300 Workforce in 2023
The Waiters and Waitresses workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Waiters and Waitresses.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$45,508 Average Wage
In 2023, Waiters and Waitresses earned an average of $45,508.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Waiters and Waitresses.
Salary distribution for Waiters and Waitresses.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
965,336 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -0.7%
958,897 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -1.3%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Waiters and Waitresses.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Waiters and Waitresses and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Waiters and Waitresses employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Waiters and Waitresses.
Wage Trends by Industry
-0.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Waiters and Waitresses.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Waiters and Waitresses.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 230,770 employees, $45,718 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Waiters and Waitresses.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 62,890 employees, $43,254 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 28,130 employees, $46,223 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 24,800 employees, $48,264 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 21,450 employees, $46,732 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 15,870 employees, $48,061 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 14,840 employees, $46,557 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 12,790 employees, $46,569 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 12,660 employees, $52,203 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 4,850 employees, $43,297 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 4,500 employees, $41,569 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Waiters and Waitresses.
Diversity
Demographic information on Waiters and Waitresses in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Waiters and Waitresses in 2023 was 243,300 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Waiters and Waitresses.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Waiters and Waitresses.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Waiters and Waitresses.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Waiters and Waitresses in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Waiters and Waitresses.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Waiters and Waitresses workers.
Education level distribution for Waiters and Waitresses.
Skills
Waiters and Waitresses need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Service Orientation, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination.
Required skills for Waiters and Waitresses.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Waiters and Waitresses.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Waiters and Waitresses include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Sales and Marketing, Food Production, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Waiters and Waitresses.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Waiters and Waitresses include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Time Sharing.
Required abilities for Waiters and Waitresses.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Waiters and Waitresses.
Daily Activities
Waiters and Waitresses spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others.
Most important work activities for Waiters and Waitresses.
About
Waiters and Waitresses
The average yearly wage for Waiters and Waitresses was $45,508 in 2023.
SOC Code
35-3031 - Waiters and Waitresses
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Waiters and Waitresses reports an average salary of $45,508.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 243,300 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.