Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019
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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 2,579,020 |
0.5 % |
$12.88 |
$26,800 |
0.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$8.37 |
$9.11 |
$11.00 |
$14.24 |
$20.65 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$17,420 |
$18,950 |
$22,890 |
$29,620 |
$42,950 |
Industry profile for this occupation:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
2,099,460 |
19.41 |
$12.70 |
$26,410 |
| Traveler Accommodation |
156,410 |
7.62 |
$14.84 |
$30,860 |
| Special Food Services |
71,590 |
9.75 |
$15.04 |
$31,290 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries |
69,890 |
5.18 |
$12.49 |
$25,970 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
62,980 |
15.82 |
$12.12 |
$25,220 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
2,099,460 |
19.41 |
$12.70 |
$26,410 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
62,980 |
15.82 |
$12.12 |
$25,220 |
| Special Food Services |
71,590 |
9.75 |
$15.04 |
$31,290 |
| Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water |
1,360 |
8.02 |
$14.18 |
$29,500 |
| Traveler Accommodation |
156,410 |
7.62 |
$14.84 |
$30,860 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
Geographic profile for this occupation:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
289,160 |
16.64 |
0.95 |
$15.55 |
$32,350 |
| Texas |
219,180 |
17.63 |
1.00 |
$10.61 |
$22,070 |
| Florida |
208,360 |
23.69 |
1.35 |
$12.66 |
$26,340 |
| New York |
160,470 |
16.85 |
0.96 |
$17.86 |
$37,150 |
| Pennsylvania |
96,210 |
16.30 |
0.93 |
$12.20 |
$25,380 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hawaii |
19,500 |
30.68 |
1.75 |
$26.54 |
$55,200 |
| Nevada |
37,300 |
26.78 |
1.53 |
$11.43 |
$23,770 |
| Florida |
208,360 |
23.69 |
1.35 |
$12.66 |
$26,340 |
| Montana |
10,050 |
21.48 |
1.22 |
$10.53 |
$21,900 |
| Maine |
12,970 |
21.22 |
1.21 |
$14.02 |
$29,170 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hawaii |
19,500 |
30.68 |
1.75 |
$26.54 |
$55,200 |
| District of Columbia |
10,940 |
15.12 |
0.86 |
$23.83 |
$49,570 |
| Washington |
55,090 |
16.60 |
0.95 |
$18.63 |
$38,750 |
| New York |
160,470 |
16.85 |
0.96 |
$17.86 |
$37,150 |
| Arizona |
50,880 |
17.75 |
1.01 |
$17.57 |
$36,550 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| 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 |
157,350 |
16.30 |
0.93 |
$17.29 |
$35,970 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
102,290 |
16.39 |
0.93 |
$15.55 |
$32,350 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
69,600 |
14.88 |
0.85 |
$11.50 |
$23,910 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
63,680 |
17.41 |
0.99 |
$9.99 |
$20,770 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
55,590 |
18.21 |
1.04 |
$11.83 |
$24,610 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
54,390 |
19.82 |
1.13 |
$10.66 |
$22,170 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
53,220 |
20.14 |
1.15 |
$12.55 |
$26,100 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
52,090 |
18.62 |
1.06 |
$15.91 |
$33,100 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
51,360 |
16.15 |
0.92 |
$14.84 |
$30,870 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
45,100 |
15.68 |
0.89 |
$12.30 |
$25,580 |
United States Department of Labor
