• 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).

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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

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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

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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	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

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

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

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

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