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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

35-3031 Waiters and Waitresses

Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment. Excludes “Fast Food and Counter Workers” (35-3023).


National estimates for Waiters and Waitresses
Industry profile for Waiters and Waitresses
Geographic profile for Waiters and Waitresses

National estimates for Waiters and Waitresses:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Waiters and Waitresses:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
2,122,210 0.7 % $ 15.87 $ 33,020 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Waiters and Waitresses:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 8.77 $ 10.49 $ 14.00 $ 17.50 $ 26.62
Annual Wage (2) $ 18,250 $ 21,810 $ 29,120 $ 36,400 $ 55,360


Industry profile for Waiters and Waitresses:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Waiters and Waitresses are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Waiters and Waitresses, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Waiters and Waitresses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 1,757,590 16.88 $ 15.81 $ 32,880
Traveler Accommodation 107,530 6.37 $ 16.23 $ 33,750
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 62,610 4.98 $ 15.81 $ 32,870
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 53,050 13.46 $ 16.48 $ 34,280
Special Food Services 48,380 7.60 $ 17.48 $ 36,350

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Waiters and Waitresses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 1,757,590 16.88 $ 15.81 $ 32,880
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 53,050 13.46 $ 16.48 $ 34,280
Special Food Services 48,380 7.60 $ 17.48 $ 36,350
Traveler Accommodation 107,530 6.37 $ 16.23 $ 33,750
Beverage Manufacturing 16,330 5.30 $ 17.33 $ 36,050

Top paying industries for Waiters and Waitresses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services 70 0.05 $ 26.34 $ 54,790
Management of Companies and Enterprises 1,770 0.07 $ 20.61 $ 42,870
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 1,610 0.39 $ 18.13 $ 37,720
Special Food Services 48,380 7.60 $ 17.48 $ 36,350
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions 690 0.45 $ 17.44 $ 36,270


Geographic profile for Waiters and Waitresses:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Waiters and Waitresses are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Waiters and Waitresses, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of waiters and waitresses by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Waiters and Waitresses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 219,180 12.43 0.87 $ 17.82 $ 37,060
Texas 200,150 15.41 1.07 $ 12.75 $ 26,520
Florida 193,290 20.98 1.46 $ 15.86 $ 32,980
New York 106,270 11.67 0.81 $ 22.91 $ 47,640
Illinois 77,500 13.17 0.92 $ 15.26 $ 31,750


Map of location quotient of waiters and waitresses by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Waiters and Waitresses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada 37,300 26.41 1.84 $ 13.07 $ 27,190
Hawaii 12,950 21.76 1.52 $ 16.94 $ 35,240
Florida 193,290 20.98 1.46 $ 15.86 $ 32,980
South Carolina 41,840 19.44 1.35 $ 10.94 $ 22,750
Oklahoma 28,750 17.92 1.25 $ 11.49 $ 23,900


Map of annual mean wages of waiters and waitresses by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Waiters and Waitresses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 8,910 12.91 0.90 $ 24.42 $ 50,790
New York 106,270 11.67 0.81 $ 22.91 $ 47,640
Washington 40,190 11.80 0.82 $ 22.31 $ 46,400
Arizona 51,070 16.84 1.17 $ 21.86 $ 45,460
Vermont 2,860 9.75 0.68 $ 21.13 $ 43,950



Map of employment of waiters and waitresses by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Waiters and Waitresses:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 107,200 11.67 0.81 $ 23.01 $ 47,850
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 79,370 13.01 0.91 $ 18.08 $ 37,600
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 59,540 13.48 0.94 $ 15.53 $ 32,300
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 57,510 15.11 1.05 $ 13.17 $ 27,390
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 50,890 16.66 1.16 $ 13.02 $ 27,090
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 48,020 17.61 1.23 $ 14.52 $ 30,200
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 47,740 18.19 1.27 $ 16.13 $ 33,550
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 38,070 12.58 0.88 $ 19.91 $ 41,410
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 37,050 13.38 0.93 $ 15.81 $ 32,890
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 36,600 16.48 1.15 $ 22.24 $ 46,260


Map of location quotient of waiters and waitresses by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Waiters and Waitresses:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 7,440 43.23 3.01 $ 10.51 $ 21,860
Ocean City, NJ 1,720 43.01 3.00 $ 18.42 $ 38,310
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC 3,060 39.22 2.73 $ 11.17 $ 23,230
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 3,050 38.76 2.70 $ 11.30 $ 23,510
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 4,500 37.80 2.63 $ 15.82 $ 32,900
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 4,500 36.28 2.53 $ 17.60 $ 36,600
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI 2,640 36.16 2.52 $ 18.97 $ 39,450
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL 5,540 35.17 2.45 $ 17.26 $ 35,900
The Villages, FL 1,180 32.61 2.27 $ 15.19 $ 31,600
Flagstaff, AZ 1,930 31.26 2.18 $ 21.25 $ 44,200


Map of annual mean wages of waiters and waitresses by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Waiters and Waitresses:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 23,400 11.49 0.80 $ 23.47 $ 48,810
Ithaca, NY 590 12.50 0.87 $ 23.16 $ 48,180
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 107,200 11.67 0.81 $ 23.01 $ 47,850
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 5,320 12.41 0.86 $ 22.84 $ 47,520
Rochester, NY 5,350 11.03 0.77 $ 22.49 $ 46,770
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 36,600 16.48 1.15 $ 22.24 $ 46,260
Prescott, AZ 1,840 27.58 1.92 $ 22.23 $ 46,230
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 680 13.84 0.96 $ 22.18 $ 46,130
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 1,220 13.47 0.94 $ 22.05 $ 45,870
Glens Falls, NY 980 20.10 1.40 $ 21.91 $ 45,560

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Waiters and Waitresses:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 4,980 35.99 2.51 $ 11.53 $ 23,990
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 4,870 12.72 0.89 $ 13.16 $ 27,360
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 4,280 16.32 1.14 $ 16.82 $ 34,990
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 4,230 13.14 0.92 $ 14.25 $ 29,640
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 4,010 14.65 1.02 $ 11.52 $ 23,960

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Waiters and Waitresses:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Florida nonmetropolitan area 3,260 41.18 2.87 $ 15.78 $ 32,830
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 4,980 35.99 2.51 $ 11.53 $ 23,990
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 3,740 30.37 2.12 $ 19.76 $ 41,110
Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area 2,060 28.62 1.99 $ 15.27 $ 31,760
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 2,610 26.68 1.86 $ 15.04 $ 31,270

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Waiters and Waitresses:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 730 10.81 0.75 $ 21.60 $ 44,930
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 1,090 11.04 0.77 $ 21.49 $ 44,700
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area 1,870 12.13 0.85 $ 20.69 $ 43,040
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area 2,500 14.79 1.03 $ 20.45 $ 42,530
Arizona nonmetropolitan area 1,470 16.03 1.12 $ 19.96 $ 41,520


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023