Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment. Excludes “Fast Food and Counter Workers” (35-3023).
National median · BLS
$35,230
▲ +4.35%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$40,060
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
2,270,910
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Waiters and Waitresses
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$18,100
25th
$27,750
Median (50th)
$35,230
75th
$47,110
90th — top pay
$64,720
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Waiters and Waitresses
BLS projects employment of waiters and waitresses to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 423,100 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
2,284,400 → 2,330,900
+46,500 jobs
Projected change
+2%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
423,100
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
0.1% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Waiters and Waitresses salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Waiters and Waitresses
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Service Orientation3.9
Active Listening3.5
Speaking3.5
Social Perceptiveness3.4
Coordination3.1
Monitoring3.0
Critical Thinking2.9
Judgment and Decision Making2.8
Persuasion2.8
Reading Comprehension2.8
Top knowledge areas
Customer and Personal Service3.9
English Language3.6
Sales and Marketing3.3
Food Production2.6
Mathematics2.6
Administration and Management2.5
Psychology2.4
Education and Training2.4
Software and technology used
FacebookBlinkCompris Advanced Manager's WorkstationCompris softwareHospitality Control Solutions Aloha Point-of-SaleIntuit QuickBooks Point of SaleMICROS Systems HSI Profits SeriesNCR Advanced Checkout SolutionNCR NeighborhoodPOSThe General Store
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What waiters and waitresses do
Collect payments from customers.
Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems.
Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning.
Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.
Also called
Food ServerServerWaiterWaitressBanquet ServerBusserCocktail ServerFood RunnerRestaurant ServerRoom Service Server
More job titles for this occupation (24)
Banquet WaiterBanquet WaitressBar WaiterBar WaitressBuffet WaiterBuffet WaitressCarhopClub WaiterClub WaitressCocktail WaitressDeck StewardDining Car ServerDining Car WaiterDining Car WaitressFormal WaiterFormal WaitressInformal WaiterInformal WaitressServer AssistantSinging WaiterSinging WaitressSkating CarhopWine StewardWine Stewardess
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Waiters and Waitresses, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $35,230.
