As of April 01, 2025, the average hourly pay of Waiter in the United States is $12. While Salary.com is seeing that Waiter salary in the US can go up to $13 or down to $10, but most earn between $11 and $12. Salary.com shows the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Waiter in the United States.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $12 | $1 | $0 | $0 |
| Average | $12 | $1 | $0 | $0 |
| 25th Percentile | $11 | $1 | $0 | $0 |
As of April 01, 2025, Salary.com is seeing that an entry-level Waiter with under 1 year experience makes about $24,062. With less than 2 years of experience, a mid-level Waiter makes around $24,402. After 2-4 years, the Waiter pay rises to about $24,927. Those senior Waiter with 5-8 years of experience earn roughly $24,999, and those Waiter having 8 years or more experience is expected to earn about $25,118 on average.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Waiter | $24,062 |
| Intermediate Level Waiter | $24,402 |
| Senior Level Waiter | $24,927 |
| Specialist Level Waiter | $24,999 |
| Expert Level Waiter | $25,118 |
| Entry Level | 1% |
| Mid Level | 0% |
| Senior Level | 3% |
| Top Level | 3% |
| Experienced | 3% |
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from state to state due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of April 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Waiter is $26,802 in California and in Massachusetts, the average annual salary goes to $26,502. While in New Jersey, a Waiter earns $26,402 per year.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from city to city due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of April 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Waiter in San Francisco, CA is $30,402 and in New York, NY, the average annual salary goes to $28,202. While a Waiter earns $27,102 per year in Boston, MA.
For those exploring the changing dynamics of Waiter salaries, Salary.com offers detailed insights through our Job Trending in CA Labor Market analysis. As of April 01, 2025, our research highlights a notable shift in Waiter compensation over the past six years. For instance, the median salary has moved from $30,803 in 2023 to about $30,654 in 2024 (for a comprehensive analysis of Waiter salary trends, click here). It's crucial to consider several elements, including geographical location, experience level, industry demand, and economic development, as they play a significant role in influencing salary variations.
Salary.com job board provides millions of Waiter information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Waiter job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Waiter and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $24,302 | 63.6% | ||
| Bonus | $0 | 0.0% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $1,859 | 4.9% | ||
| 401K/403B | $1,191 | 3.1% | ||
| Disability | $389 | 1.0% | ||
| Healthcare | $6,371 | 16.7% | ||
| Pension | $1,021 | 2.7% | ||
| Time Off | $3,084 | 8.1% | ||
| Total Compensation | $38,217 | 100% | ||
The Waiter explains menu item and terms and provides suggestions to customers when asked. Serves food and beverages to the customers promptly and follows the standards set by the facility. Being a Waiter typically reports to a supervisor or manager. May require a high school diploma or its equivalent. Being a Waiter may require 0-1 year of general work experience. Possesses a moderate understanding of general aspects of the job. Works under the close direction of senior personnel in the functional area.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Customer Service: Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
Point of Sale: Accepting payments from customers for goods and services either in person or online.
Product Quality: Product quality refers to how well a product satisfies customer needs, serves its purpose and meets industry standards. When evaluating product quality, businesses consider several key factors, including whether a product solves a problem, works efficiently or suits customers' purposes.
