Careers / Waiters and Waitresses
Waiters and Waitresses — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.
Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$35,230
United States, 2025
Employment
2,270,910
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
- O*NET code
- 35-3031.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$18,100
25th percentile
$27,750
75th percentile
$47,110
90th percentile
$64,720
Most important skills
- Service Orientation3.9
- Active Listening3.5
- Speaking3.5
- Social Perceptiveness3.4
- Coordination3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Critical Thinking2.9
- Reading Comprehension2.8
- Time Management2.8
- Judgment and Decision Making2.8
- Persuasion2.8
- Complex Problem Solving2.6
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 6 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
6
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Orientation | 3.9 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Speaking | 3.5 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
| Active Listening | 3.5 | 2.5 | Not selected | 2.5 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.4 | 2.5 | Not selected | 2.5 |
| Coordination | 3.1 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | 2.6 | Not selected | 2.6 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $35,070
Compare with Waiters and WaitressesSupplemental
National median $37,450
Compare with Waiters and WaitressesSupplemental
National median $36,300
Compare with Waiters and WaitressesHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului, HI | $82,550 | 2,700 | 2025 |
| HI | $62,390 | 14,090 | 2025 |
| Burlington, VT | $61,620 | 1,510 | 2025 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $60,250 | 8,550 | 2025 |
| VT | $59,140 | 4,040 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $57,280 | 26,530 | 2025 |
| Walla Walla, WA | $56,730 | 340 | 2025 |
| Bellingham, WA | $56,700 | 1,450 | 2025 |
| WA | $56,130 | 45,400 | 2025 |
| Bremerton, WA | $55,270 | 1,370 | 2025 |
| Longview, WA | $54,870 | 410 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $54,780 | 13,910 | 2025 |
| Mount Vernon, WA | $53,060 | 830 | 2025 |
| Olympia, WA | $53,000 | 1,410 | 2025 |
| Kennewick, WA | $51,460 | 1,510 | 2025 |
| Bend, OR | $50,480 | 1,750 | 2025 |
| Medford, OR | $50,440 | 1,130 | 2025 |
| Boulder, CO | $49,870 | 2,670 | 2025 |
| Wenatchee, WA | $49,820 | 960 | 2025 |
| Yakima, WA | $49,060 | 1,000 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Waiters and Waitresses to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.