Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2006

35-3031 Waiters and Waitresses

Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment. Exclude "Counter Attendants, Cafeteria, Food Concession, and Coffee Shop" (35-3022).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
2,312,930 0.5 % $8.27 $17,190 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $5.78 $6.42 $7.14 $9.14 $12.46
Annual Wage (2) $12,020 $13,360 $14,850 $19,020 $25,910

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Full-Service Restaurants 1,689,530 $8.16 $16,960
Limited-Service Eating Places 151,150 $7.39 $15,370
Traveler Accommodation 129,720 $9.50 $19,750
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) 77,160 $7.70 $16,020
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 70,230 $9.27 $19,270

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (8) $13.12 $27,290
Other Personal Services 290 $13.09 $27,230
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water 1,060 $12.48 $25,960
Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services 250 $11.15 $23,180
Department Stores 700 $10.40 $21,630

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all States with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Nevada 38,360 $8.47 $17,610 3.050%
Hawaii 16,120 $11.21 $23,310 2.691%
Florida 203,760 $8.86 $18,430 2.589%
Montana 9,990 $7.23 $15,040 2.339%
Rhode Island 10,900 $8.95 $18,620 2.259%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Washington 45,260 $11.65 $24,240 1.654%
Hawaii 16,120 $11.21 $23,310 2.691%
Massachusetts 53,350 $11.04 $22,950 1.683%
New York 129,540 $10.82 $22,510 1.544%
New Jersey 54,780 $10.32 $21,460 1.384%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all Metropolitan areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC 5,850 $7.65 $15,920 4.992%
Atlantic City, NJ 5,960 $10.55 $21,940 4.020%
Ocean City, NJ 1,430 $11.39 $23,680 3.563%
Panama City-Lynn Haven, FL 2,490 $8.82 $18,340 3.523%
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 30,630 $8.76 $18,230 3.377%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 920 $12.41 $25,820 2.070%
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 69,030 $12.22 $25,420 1.387%
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 22,310 $11.99 $24,950 1.638%
Wenatchee, WA 660 $11.72 $24,370 1.689%
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 26,350 $11.48 $23,870 1.597%

About May 2006 National, State, Metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files (XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2006 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2006 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2006 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2006 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2006 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: December 6, 2007