Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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) |
| 1,804,030 |
0.8 % |
$ 13.95 |
$ 29,010 |
0.7 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Waiters and Waitresses:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 8.58 |
$ 9.63 |
$ 12.50 |
$ 14.83 |
$ 22.07 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 17,840 |
$ 20,020 |
$ 26,000 |
$ 30,850 |
$ 45,910 |
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 |
1,529,610 |
16.22 |
$ 13.93 |
$ 28,970 |
| Traveler Accommodation |
71,020 |
5.17 |
$ 14.16 |
$ 29,440 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries |
56,820 |
5.11 |
$ 13.80 |
$ 28,710 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
39,150 |
12.76 |
$ 13.67 |
$ 28,430 |
| Special Food Services |
26,770 |
5.65 |
$ 15.69 |
$ 32,640 |
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 |
1,529,610 |
16.22 |
$ 13.93 |
$ 28,970 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
39,150 |
12.76 |
$ 13.67 |
$ 28,430 |
| Special Food Services |
26,770 |
5.65 |
$ 15.69 |
$ 32,640 |
| Traveler Accommodation |
71,020 |
5.17 |
$ 14.16 |
$ 29,440 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries |
56,820 |
5.11 |
$ 13.80 |
$ 28,710 |
Top paying industries for Waiters and Waitresses:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations |
1,290 |
0.32 |
$ 18.08 |
$ 37,610 |
| Technical and Trade Schools |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 17.62 |
$ 36,650 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
2,200 |
0.09 |
$ 16.03 |
$ 33,340 |
| Grantmaking and Giving Services |
130 |
0.09 |
$ 15.87 |
$ 33,010 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
120 |
(7) |
$ 15.72 |
$ 32,700 |
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.
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 |
171,630 |
10.38 |
0.81 |
$ 17.35 |
$ 36,090 |
| Texas |
171,060 |
13.99 |
1.09 |
$ 11.97 |
$ 24,890 |
| Florida |
170,290 |
19.79 |
1.55 |
$ 13.94 |
$ 28,990 |
| New York |
91,740 |
10.58 |
0.83 |
$ 19.09 |
$ 39,710 |
| Ohio |
64,740 |
12.45 |
0.97 |
$ 11.45 |
$ 23,810 |
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 |
27,670 |
21.46 |
1.68 |
$ 11.58 |
$ 24,090 |
| Florida |
170,290 |
19.79 |
1.55 |
$ 13.94 |
$ 28,990 |
| Oklahoma |
26,570 |
17.06 |
1.33 |
$ 11.32 |
$ 23,540 |
| Louisiana |
29,510 |
16.45 |
1.28 |
$ 9.95 |
$ 20,700 |
| Hawaii |
8,560 |
15.62 |
1.22 |
$ 18.93 |
$ 39,370 |
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 |
5,820 |
8.79 |
0.69 |
$ 23.19 |
$ 48,240 |
| Washington |
30,000 |
9.36 |
0.73 |
$ 21.39 |
$ 44,490 |
| Arizona |
44,820 |
15.56 |
1.21 |
$ 19.43 |
$ 40,400 |
| New York |
91,740 |
10.58 |
0.83 |
$ 19.09 |
$ 39,710 |
| Hawaii |
8,560 |
15.62 |
1.22 |
$ 18.93 |
$ 39,370 |
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 |
91,580 |
10.55 |
0.82 |
$ 18.06 |
$ 37,560 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
62,430 |
10.91 |
0.85 |
$ 17.49 |
$ 36,370 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
48,860 |
13.61 |
1.06 |
$ 12.13 |
$ 25,240 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
45,210 |
10.68 |
0.83 |
$ 12.48 |
$ 25,960 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
44,210 |
15.26 |
1.19 |
$ 12.49 |
$ 25,970 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
40,790 |
16.63 |
1.30 |
$ 14.00 |
$ 29,120 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
37,410 |
14.45 |
1.13 |
$ 11.51 |
$ 23,940 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
32,010 |
15.12 |
1.18 |
$ 19.59 |
$ 40,740 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
31,380 |
10.70 |
0.84 |
$ 17.06 |
$ 35,480 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
29,960 |
11.28 |
0.88 |
$ 14.07 |
$ 29,260 |
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) |
| Ocean City, NJ |
1,580 |
40.44 |
3.16 |
$ 15.19 |
$ 31,590 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL |
2,930 |
39.38 |
3.08 |
$ 10.21 |
$ 21,240 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC |
6,150 |
37.87 |
2.96 |
$ 10.01 |
$ 20,810 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL |
4,190 |
36.73 |
2.87 |
$ 14.31 |
$ 29,760 |
| Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL |
5,190 |
35.43 |
2.77 |
$ 15.02 |
$ 31,240 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ |
4,070 |
35.04 |
2.74 |
$ 14.82 |
$ 30,830 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC |
2,450 |
32.69 |
2.55 |
$ 10.82 |
$ 22,500 |
| Brunswick, GA |
1,260 |
31.00 |
2.42 |
$ 9.73 |
$ 20,240 |
| The Villages, FL |
1,020 |
30.52 |
2.38 |
$ 13.37 |
$ 27,800 |
| Flagstaff, AZ |
1,760 |
30.38 |
2.37 |
$ 19.76 |
$ 41,100 |
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) |
| Glens Falls, NY |
900 |
18.53 |
1.45 |
$ 22.87 |
$ 47,570 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
17,150 |
8.94 |
0.70 |
$ 22.64 |
$ 47,080 |
| Ithaca, NY |
470 |
10.17 |
0.79 |
$ 21.62 |
$ 44,970 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY |
4,150 |
9.89 |
0.77 |
$ 21.39 |
$ 44,500 |
| Kingston, NY |
990 |
18.32 |
1.43 |
$ 20.89 |
$ 43,440 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA |
1,010 |
11.74 |
0.92 |
$ 20.69 |
$ 43,040 |
| Olympia-Tumwater, WA |
920 |
8.17 |
0.64 |
$ 20.65 |
$ 42,950 |
| Elmira, NY |
350 |
10.85 |
0.85 |
$ 20.55 |
$ 42,740 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA |
1,080 |
9.23 |
0.72 |
$ 20.36 |
$ 42,340 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME |
2,680 |
13.55 |
1.06 |
$ 20.35 |
$ 42,340 |
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) |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area |
4,540 |
12.08 |
0.94 |
$ 9.58 |
$ 19,930 |
| North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) |
4,300 |
13.67 |
1.07 |
$ 11.52 |
$ 23,950 |
| East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area |
4,110 |
30.85 |
2.41 |
$ 9.88 |
$ 20,550 |
| Mountain North Carolina nonmetropolitan area |
3,380 |
26.94 |
2.10 |
$ 11.44 |
$ 23,800 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area |
3,270 |
28.04 |
2.19 |
$ 18.16 |
$ 37,780 |
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 |
3,070 |
40.54 |
3.17 |
$ 14.20 |
$ 29,530 |
| East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area |
4,110 |
30.85 |
2.41 |
$ 9.88 |
$ 20,550 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area |
3,270 |
28.04 |
2.19 |
$ 18.16 |
$ 37,780 |
| Mountain North Carolina nonmetropolitan area |
3,380 |
26.94 |
2.10 |
$ 11.44 |
$ 23,800 |
| Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area |
1,690 |
23.96 |
1.87 |
$ 12.71 |
$ 26,430 |
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Waiters and Waitresses:
About May 2021 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.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
