Waiters and Waitresses Career, Salary and Skills
Waiters and Waitresses have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $35,230 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 2,270,910. Wage data is published for 446 locations.
Occupation description
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
O*NET code
35-3031.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$35,230
Hourly median
$16.94
Employment
2,270,910
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
$18,100
10th
$27,750
25th
$35,230
Median
$47,110
75th
$64,720
90th
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Service Orientation | 3.88 | 3.00 |
| Active Listening | 3.50 | 2.50 |
| Speaking | 3.50 | 2.62 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.38 | 2.50 |
| Coordination | 3.12 | 2.62 |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Critical Thinking | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.75 | 2.12 |
| Persuasion | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.75 | 2.00 |
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Collect payments from customers.
Technology
- Blink
- Compris Advanced Manager's Workstation
- Compris software
- Hospitality Control Solutions Aloha Point-of-Sale
- Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale
- MICROS Systems HSI Profits Series
- NCR Advanced Checkout Solution
- NCR NeighborhoodPOS
- The General Store
Waiters and Waitresses salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in CAMedian $36,080 · Employment 229,970
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in FLMedian $36,150 · Employment 207,180
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in TXMedian $23,240 · Employment 199,610
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in NYMedian $47,020 · Employment 142,940
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in New York, NYMedian $47,610 · Employment 138,720
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $35,850 · Employment 85,210
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in PAMedian $34,690 · Employment 82,300
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in OHMedian $36,700 · Employment 77,250
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in GAMedian $18,700 · Employment 76,470
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in ILMedian $31,200 · Employment 72,900
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in NCMedian $32,150 · Employment 71,940
- Waiters and Waitresses Salary in MIMedian $37,760 · Employment 65,090
Related careers
- DishwashersNational median $34,810
- CashiersNational median $32,880
- ConciergesNational median $38,950
- Cooks, Fast FoodNational median $30,890
- Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk ClerksNational median $35,070
- Cooks, Institution and CafeteriaNational median $37,450
- Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room AttendantsNational median $36,300
- Cooks, RestaurantNational median $37,390
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.