Waiters and Waitresses Salary: $45,508 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 2,302,690 waiters and waitresses nationally earn a mean of $45,508. Employment in the series shown rose about 8% from the first to the last year; much hiring sits in accommodation and food services.
Key Statistics
Waiters and Waitresses: what the data shows
Common questions about waiters and waitresses careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a waiters and waitresses?
Waiters and Waitresses is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 35-3031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 2,302,690 workers.
What does a waiters and waitresses do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include 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, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a waiters and waitresses make?
BLS national median annual wage: $33,760 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $45,508 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $34,257 |
| 25th percentile | $35,203 |
| Median (50th) | $36,293 |
| 75th percentile | $40,325 |
| 90th percentile | $72,453 |
What education do you need?
For Waiters and Waitresses, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Service Orientation, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Sales and Marketing, Food Production. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is waiters and waitresses in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.1% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -0.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -1.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 2,302,690.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do waiters and waitressess work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 2,302,690 | 17.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 2,289,140 | 17.2% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 2,116,650 | 15.9% |
| Food Services and Drinking Places | 1,976,940 | 14.9% |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 1,866,920 | 14.1% |
| Full-Service Restaurants | 1,735,540 | 13.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Waiters and Waitresses in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Waiters and Waitresses workforce.
Employment Over Time
2,302,690 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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 243,300 employees, $44,250 avg wage
- TX: 210,170 employees, $31,730 avg wage
- FL: 208,920 employees, $39,040 avg wage
- NY: 140,890 employees, $53,360 avg wage
- IL: 84,550 employees, $34,700 avg wage
- PA: 82,920 employees, $36,610 avg wage
- OH: 76,260 employees, $38,910 avg wage
- NC: 74,110 employees, $32,670 avg wage
- GA: 71,870 employees, $27,340 avg wage
- MI: 64,920 employees, $40,530 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Waiters and Waitresses.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 135,820 employees, $53,360 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 91,020 employees, $42,950 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 64,010 employees, $34,870 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 59,730 employees, $32,290 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 56,790 employees, $38,910 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 52,610 employees, $31,680 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 45,170 employees, $47,500 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 43,170 employees, $40,710 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 43,170 employees, $28,590 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 39,140 employees, $49,350 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 2,302,690 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 2,302,690 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.