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Full-time hourly wages for waiters and waitresses in 2017

October 29, 2018

Many people have worked as waiters and waitresses at some point in their lives. With 2.6 million workers in 2017, waiters and waitresses are among the 10 largest detailed occupations in the United States. Among waiters and waitresses who worked full time, the metropolitan areas with the highest average hourly wages in 2017 include Madison, Wisconsin ($18.56), San Diego-Carlsbad, California ($18.54), Fresno, California ($18.28), and Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida ($17.25).

Average hourly wages of waiters and waitresses who work full time in selected metropolitan areas, 2017
Metropolitan area Average hourly wage

Madison, WI

$18.56

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

18.54

Fresno, CA

18.28

Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL

17.25

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

16.92

Salinas, CA

16.68

Fort Collins, CO

16.44

Rochester, NY

15.53

Tucson, AZ

15.50

Asheville, NC

15.37

Jacksonville, FL

15.17

Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA

15.17

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

15.14

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

14.85

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT

14.70

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

14.55

Bakersfield, CA

14.47

Kennewick-Richland, WA

14.44

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

14.19

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

14.01

Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

13.98

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

13.92

Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA

13.92

Syracuse, NY

13.79

Cleveland-Elyria, OH

13.72

Ocean City, NJ

13.66

Salt Lake City, UT

13.54

Port St. Lucie, FL

13.47

Canton-Massillon, OH

13.40

Dayton, OH

13.36

Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

13.34

Colorado Springs, CO

13.32

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO

13.28

Eugene, OR

13.28

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI

13.18

Santa Fe, NM

13.10

Kalamazoo-Portage, MI

12.61

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

12.46

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA

12.39

Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI

12.37

Lancaster, PA

12.37

Raleigh, NC

12.31

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

12.25

Columbus, OH

12.16

Toledo, OH

12.08

Pittsburgh, PA

12.06

Salisbury, MD-DE

12.04

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC

11.94

Albuquerque, NM

11.93

Boise City, ID

11.71

Akron, OH

11.46

York-Hanover, PA

11.43

Reading, PA

11.34

Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA

11.30

Richmond, VA

11.13

Reno, NV

11.08

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

10.98

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN

10.96

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI

10.91

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC

10.87

Savannah, GA

10.85

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

10.60

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC

10.57

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

10.44

Winston-Salem, NC

10.44

Evansville, IN-KY

10.43

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA

10.10

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

10.09

Peoria, IL

9.97

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

9.88

Fort Wayne, IN

9.80

Birmingham-Hoover, AL

9.79

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

9.75

Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC

9.68

Memphis, TN-MS-AR

9.67

Wilmington, NC

9.58

Chattanooga, TN-GA

9.53

Greensboro-High Point, NC

9.49

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC

9.49

Knoxville, TN

9.25

Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS

8.98

Columbus, GA-AL

8.97

Lexington-Fayette, KY

8.72

The areas with the lowest average hourly wages for full-time waiters and waitresses include Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky ($8.72), Columbus, Georgia-Alabama ($8.97), Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi ($8.98), and Knoxville, Tennessee ($9.25).

These estimates are from the Modeled Wage Estimates derived from the National Compensation Survey and the Occupational Employment Statistics survey. These estimates include hourly wages and tips. Modeled Wage Estimates are available for detailed occupations, geographic areas, and job characteristics, including full- and part-time status, work levels, and bargaining status. Additionally, relative standard errors are available to allow users to assess the reliability of estimates.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Full-time hourly wages for waiters and waitresses in 2017 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/full-time-hourly-wages-for-waiters-and-waitresses-in-2017.htm (visited March 29, 2024).

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