Food Servers, Nonrestaurant pay in the U.S.
$36,140avg. a year
$17.37 an hour · 293,900 employed
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant in the U.S. earn an average of $36,140 a year and a median of $35,360. Pay is highest in Hawaii ($45,670) and lowest in Louisiana ($26,000).
$35,360Median pay
$17.37Average hourly
+32%Avg. pay since 2020
293,900Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for food servers, nonrestaurant
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1880 jobs
Hawaii
$45,670
$21.96 an hour
232,430 jobs
California
$43,580
$20.95 an hour
317,520 jobs
New York
$42,560
$20.46 an hour
48,050 jobs
Washington
$42,000
$20.19 an hour
51,260 jobs
District of Columbia
$41,460
$19.93 an hour
67,750 jobs
Colorado
$40,920
$19.67 an hour
7780 jobs
Vermont
$40,840
$19.63 an hour
84,420 jobs
Oregon
$39,210
$18.85 an hour
9540 jobs
Maine
$38,530
$18.52 an hour
105,830 jobs
Massachusetts
$38,520
$18.52 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $32k$32k–$34k$34k–$38k$38k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $59,020 | $28.38 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $50,590 | $24.32 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $48,600 | $23.36 |
| Napa, CA | $48,550 | $23.34 |
| Vallejo, CA | $46,710 | $22.46 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $44,510 | $21.40 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $43,720 | $21.02 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $43,510 | $20.92 |
Related jobs
- Fast Food and Counter Workers$32,150
- Waiters and Waitresses$40,060
- Bartenders$40,790
- Cooks, Restaurant$38,730
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$46,180
- Food Preparation Workers$35,290
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $29,110 | $29,000 | 2,920 |
| Alaska | $37,860 | $38,090 | 430 |
| Arizona | $36,990 | $35,390 | 4,620 |
| Arkansas | $29,110 | $27,600 | 3,540 |
| California | $43,580 | $39,010 | 32,430 |
| Colorado | $40,920 | $38,900 | 7,750 |
| Connecticut | $37,550 | $35,950 | 5,050 |
| Delaware | $34,410 | $31,430 | 1,010 |
| District of Columbia | $41,460 | $37,920 | 1,260 |
| Florida | $34,530 | $33,930 | 19,240 |
| Georgia | $33,270 | $31,530 | 4,970 |
| Hawaii | $45,670 | $37,920 | 880 |
| Idaho | $33,920 | $34,220 | 930 |
| Illinois | $35,730 | $35,080 | 17,560 |
| Indiana | $32,400 | $31,840 | 3,900 |
| Iowa | $31,000 | $30,110 | 5,270 |
| Kansas | $28,610 | $29,040 | 1,270 |
| Kentucky | $32,750 | $32,200 | 3,660 |
| Louisiana | $26,000 | $27,200 | 2,380 |
| Maine | $38,530 | $37,680 | 540 |
| Maryland | $37,060 | $36,650 | 6,600 |
| Massachusetts | $38,520 | $36,750 | 5,830 |
| Michigan | $33,930 | $34,260 | 7,700 |
| Minnesota | $37,010 | $36,000 | 11,090 |
| Mississippi | $26,970 | $27,250 | 1,860 |
| Missouri | $33,390 | $31,840 | 7,490 |
| Montana | $32,400 | $32,090 | 1,050 |
| Nebraska | $32,860 | $31,540 | 3,800 |
| Nevada | $38,240 | $36,030 | 1,820 |
| New Hampshire | $37,070 | $36,710 | 1,770 |
| New Jersey | $37,180 | $36,390 | 11,400 |
| New Mexico | $36,310 | $35,740 | 670 |
| New York | $42,560 | $39,370 | 17,520 |
| North Carolina | $33,150 | $31,460 | 8,820 |
| North Dakota | $38,080 | $36,910 | 1,630 |
| Ohio | $32,470 | $30,440 | 15,320 |
| Oklahoma | $30,180 | $28,490 | 1,760 |
| Oregon | $39,210 | $36,620 | 4,420 |
| Pennsylvania | $33,720 | $33,300 | 13,940 |
| Rhode Island | $36,150 | $34,860 | 1,020 |
| South Carolina | $31,270 | $31,740 | 2,990 |
| South Dakota | $32,870 | $31,980 | 160 |
| Tennessee | $32,590 | $30,670 | 5,230 |
| Texas | $29,950 | $29,300 | 14,340 |
| Utah | $31,930 | $30,170 | 2,430 |
| Vermont | $40,840 | $37,540 | 780 |
| Virginia | $35,590 | $35,090 | 7,420 |
| Washington | $42,000 | $38,870 | 8,050 |
| West Virginia | $30,410 | $30,170 | 460 |
| Wisconsin | $35,080 | $34,670 | 6,680 |
| Wyoming | $32,470 | $33,090 | 250 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$42,360
19,450 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$36,550
12,200 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$42,740
11,850 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$34,650
7,610 jobsMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$37,740
6,740 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$39,510
5,760 jobs$35,560
4,980 jobsSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$43,720
4,800 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do food servers, nonrestaurant make?
The average is $36,140 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $35,360 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $17.37, and the median is $17.00 an hour.
Which state pays food servers, nonrestaurant the most?
Hawaii, with an average of $45,670 a year. The best-paying metro area is Kahului-Wailuku, HI at $59,020.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $28,030 a year, and the top 10% earn over $46,120.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 35-3041. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.