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Waiters and Waitresses

Explore national pay levels, state-by-state opportunities, and metro market strength for this occupation. CareerMatch combines salary and employment data to help users see where a career has the strongest footprint.

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Waiters and Waitresses

National Avg Annual Salary

$38,360

National Avg Hourly Wage

$18.44

National Total Employment

2,302,690

Top Metro Avg Salary

$78,510

Career Snapshot

Use these highlights to quickly understand where this occupation pays best and where it has the broadest employment base.

Highest Paying State

Vermont leads this occupation with an average annual salary of $61,610.

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Largest State Market

California has one of the largest employment markets with 243,300 jobs.

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Highest Paying Metro Area

Kahului-Wailuku, HI shows an average annual salary of $78,510.

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Largest Metro Market

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has a broad labor footprint with 135,820 jobs.

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National vs Top Market Pay Comparison

Top States by Average Salary

Top Metro Areas by Average Salary

Top Metro Areas by Employment

Top States for Waiters and Waitresses

Ranked by average annual salary. Click the state name to open that state’s ranking page.

State State Code Avg Salary Total Jobs View
Vermont VT $61,610 3,730 Open
Hawaii HI $59,710 13,830 Open
Washington WA $55,520 43,720 Open
New York NY $53,360 140,890 Open
Maine ME $52,390 8,540 Open
District of Columbia DC $52,330 10,540 Open
New Jersey NJ $49,510 56,560 Open
Arizona AZ $47,660 55,010 Open
Colorado CO $46,950 42,510 Open
Connecticut CT $45,590 21,720 Open

Top Metro Areas for Waiters and Waitresses

Ranked by average annual salary. Click a metro area to open its local ranking page.