Waiters and Waitresses: Career Overview
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
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What Tasks Do Waiters and Waitresses Do?
The core tasks performed by waiters and waitresses span:
- 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.
Skills and Knowledge
Effective waiters and waitresses combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Banquet Server
- Banquet Waiter
- Banquet Waitress
- Bar Waiter
- Bar Waitress
- Buffet Waiter
- Buffet Waitress
- Busser
Employment and Demand
The U.S. employs around 1,737,342 waiters and waitresses working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +6.1% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Waiters and Waitresses
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $42,006 |
| Hourly median | $20.20 |
| 10th percentile | $26,382 |
| 25th percentile | $34,194 |
| 75th percentile | $49,818 |
| 90th percentile | $57,630 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Waiters and Waitresses Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Vermont | $60,910 |
| Hawaii | $48,570 |
| Washington | $47,490 |
| New York | $46,460 |
| District of Columbia | $45,770 |
| Maine | $44,550 |
| Rhode Island | $42,600 |
| New Hampshire | $39,270 |
| New Jersey | $38,720 |
| Virginia | $36,990 |
| Arizona | $36,730 |
| Connecticut | $36,440 |
| Massachusetts | $36,390 |
| Ohio | $36,030 |
| Michigan | $35,940 |
| California | $35,290 |
| Maryland | $35,140 |
| Colorado | $34,990 |
| Nebraska | $34,000 |
| Oregon | $33,930 |
| Delaware | $33,750 |
| Virgin Islands | $32,230 |
| Kansas | $31,560 |
| Idaho | $30,540 |
| New Mexico | $30,440 |
| West Virginia | $30,320 |
| Pennsylvania | $30,300 |
| Utah | $29,860 |
| Florida | $29,580 |
| North Dakota | $29,420 |
| Illinois | $29,120 |
| South Dakota | $29,080 |
| Wisconsin | $29,050 |
| North Carolina | $28,460 |
| Tennessee | $28,410 |
| Texas | $27,930 |
| Indiana | $27,420 |
| Alaska | $27,370 |
| Missouri | $26,950 |
| Arkansas | $26,350 |
| Iowa | $26,140 |
| Wyoming | $25,340 |
| Nevada | $24,960 |
| Minnesota | $24,470 |
| Montana | $22,630 |
| Kentucky | $22,260 |
| Alabama | $21,920 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,290 |
| Guam | $20,480 |
| Mississippi | $20,340 |
| Georgia | $20,040 |
| Oklahoma | $19,890 |
| South Carolina | $18,530 |
| Louisiana | $16,880 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Compensation for waiters and waitresses vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $39,586 | 14.5% | 0.95 |
| New England | $38,860 | 4.6% | 0.98 |
| Far Western US | $35,948 | 15.8% | 1.00 |
| Great Lakes | $32,006 | 13.3% | 0.94 |
| Rocky Mountains | $31,705 | 3.6% | 0.91 |
| Southwest | $28,929 | 13.1% | 1.05 |
| Plains States | $27,620 | 6.4% | 0.93 |
| Southeast | $26,632 | 27.8% | 1.16 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Waiters and Waitresses
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | HI | $71,920 | 2,460 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | VT | $66,350 | 1,510 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $48,760 | 25,860 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | NY | $48,110 | 6,100 |
| Syracuse, NY | NY | $47,830 | 3,640 |
| Binghamton, NY | NY | $47,650 | 1,430 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | WA | $47,560 | 780 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | NY | $47,380 | 1,700 |
Which Industries Hire Waiters and Waitresses
Most waiters and waitresses are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and Food Services | 2,116,650 | $33,710 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 96,680 | $34,350 |
| Manufacturing | 20,180 | $36,120 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 15,640 | $32,610 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 15,470 | $37,440 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 11,970 | $33,990 |
| Retail Trade | 7,700 | $29,120 |
| Information | 4,930 | $29,850 |
Below are examples of industries where waiters and waitresses work:
Software Waiters and Waitresses Use
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
Daily working conditions for waiters and waitresses tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Contact With Others
- Spend Time Standing
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Spend Time Walking or Running
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Education and Training
Most waiters and waitresses positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Food Service Managers (Primary-Long)
- Chefs and Head Cooks (Supplemental)
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers (Primary-Long)
- Cooks, Fast Food (Supplemental)
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria (Supplemental)
- Cooks, Private Household (Supplemental)
- Cooks, Restaurant (Supplemental)
- Cooks, Short Order (Primary-Long)
Sources
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 35-3031.00 (Waiters and Waitresses).
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