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Waiters and Waitresses in California

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Waiters and Waitresses in California

Is California a good place for you to work as a Waiter or Waitress?

12.8% Jobs Projection
$25,090 Median Salary
60,310 Job Openings

You’re in luck! Jobs for Waiters and Waitresses in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

  • Projected employment for Waiters and Waitresses in California is growing faster than average.

  • Waiters and Waitresses in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Waiters and Waitresses Work in California?

286,930 people worked as Waiters and Waitresses in 2018 in this state.

There were 285,470 Waiters and Waitresses employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 1,460 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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The typical state has 34,020 Waiters and Waitresses working in it, which means California has more Waiters and Waitresses than average.

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Job Projections for California

Jobs for Waiters and Waitresses in this state are growing at a rate of 12.8% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 7.0%.

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California Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 60,310 annual job openings, and a total of 320,600 jobs for California Waiters and Waitresses in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 522,700 annual jobs and 2,783,000 total jobs in 2026.

What do Waiters and Waitresses Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Waiters and Waitresses ranged from $22,370 to $44,540 with $25,090 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $10.75 to $21.41. The median hourly rate was $12.06.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $12.07 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate declined by $0.01.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Waiters and Waitresses

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Waiters and Waitresses.

Metro Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 105,750 $25,030
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 42,870 $29,630
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 30,980 $25,250
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 23,500 $23,910
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA 15,270 $24,600
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 15,000 $26,690
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 6,120 $24,160
Santa Rosa, CA 5,050 $25,160
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 4,760 $24,880
Fresno, CA 4,210 $24,680
Salinas, CA 3,800 $24,030
Bakersfield, CA 3,450 $24,070
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 3,230 $24,250
Stockton-Lodi, CA 2,930 $24,400
Modesto, CA 2,540 $23,830
Napa, CA 2,170 $25,260
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 2,050 $25,270
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 1,940 $27,030
Chico, CA 1,290 $23,720
Visalia-Porterville, CA 1,270 $24,140
Redding, CA 1,020 $24,010
El Centro, CA 640 $24,010
Merced, CA 540 $23,870
Madera, CA 510 $24,590
Yuba City, CA 420 $24,050
Hanford-Corcoran, CA 350 $25,020

Top States for Waiters and Waitresses Employment

The table below shows the states where most Waiters and Waitresses work.

State Number Employed Annual Median Salary
California 286,930 $25,090
Texas 216,670 $19,210
Florida 211,860 $19,620
New York 167,250 $28,410
Pennsylvania 98,970 $22,850
Ohio 94,720 $19,490
Illinois 83,910 $19,410
North Carolina 82,600 $19,140
Georgia 81,920 $18,500
Michigan 80,880 $20,020
Virginia 72,420 $20,030
Massachusetts 66,250 $27,020
New Jersey 58,820 $25,480
Washington 54,770 $27,720
Tennessee 53,200 $18,290
Minnesota 50,490 $22,360
Colorado 50,390 $21,230
Indiana 49,530 $19,210
Arizona 48,830 $23,370
Missouri 48,060 $19,080

Below are the states where Waiters and Waitresses get paid the most:

State Annual Median Salary
Hawaii $48,860
Vermont $31,880
District of Columbia $30,240
New York $28,410
Washington $27,720
Massachusetts $27,020
New Jersey $25,480
California $25,090
Oregon $24,130
Rhode Island $23,980

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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