Where Do Waiters Make The Most Money

The 26 best-paying cities for waiters

The highest-paying places tend to be resort-filled vacation spots or smaller cities along the West Coast.

Where waitstaff makes the most

There are roughly 2.5 million waiters and waitresses in the U.S., making it the seventh most common job in the country. Compared to other common occupations, being a waiter is also one of the lowest-paying. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that waiters made $23,020 on average in 2015.

However, the amount waiters make largely depends on where they work. A local diner is not going to pay its waiting staff as much as a five-star restaurant in New York, and the tips would certainly be different. Using data from the BLS, the following is a ranking of the metro areas where waiters had the highest average salary in 2015.

Geography is a crucial factor in determining pay. Waiters in some of the metro areas earned more than 40 percent above the national average. Some of the usual suspects like San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles make the list, but none of these cities crack the top 10. Instead, the highest-paying places tend to be resort-filled vacation spots or smaller cities along the West Coast.

Keep in mind, one of the main reasons why salaries vary from place to place is due to differences in the cost of living. It's significantly more expensive to live in San Jose, California — one of the top-paying cities for waiters — than Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of the lowest. The BLS salary figures are not adjusted for cost of living.

Note: Some metro areas like New York-Newark-Jersey City are located in multiple states, but CareerTrends listed each metro as part of the state where it is primarily based. Ties are broken by the total number of waiters in each metro area.

26. Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont

Average salary of waiters: $28,040
Percent above national average: 19.66%
Number of waiters: 2,030

25. New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York

Average salary of waiters: $28,100
Percent above national average: 19.87%
Number of waiters: 149,210

24. Bowling Green, Kentucky

Average salary of waiters: $28,320
Percent above national average: 20.65%
Number of waiters: 1,140

23. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida

Average salary of waiters: $28,460
Percent above national average: 21.13%
Number of waiters: 8,560

22. Fresno, California

Average salary of waiters: $28,610
Percent above national average: 21.65%
Number of waiters: 3,930

21. Tallahassee, Florida

Average salary of waiters: $28,890
Percent above national average: 22.62%
Number of waiters: 3,220

20. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts

Average salary of waiters: $29,010
Percent above national average: 23.03%
Number of waiters: 30,850

19. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, California

Average salary of waiters: $29,130
Percent above national average: 23.43%
Number of waiters: 2,650

18. Vallejo-Fairfield, California

Average salary of waiters: $29,240
Percent above national average: 23.80%
Number of waiters: 1,930

17. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California

Average salary of waiters: $29,280
Percent above national average: 23.94%
Number of waiters: 1,790

16. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California

Average salary of waiters: $29,850
Percent above national average: 25.84%
Number of waiters: 39,090

15. Bellingham, Washington

Average salary of waiters: $30,060
Percent above national average: 26.53%
Number of waiters: 1,530

14. Taunton-Middleborough-Norton, Massachusetts

Average salary of waiters: $30,220
Percent above national average: 27.05%
Number of waiters: 810

13. Madera, California

Average salary of waiters: $30,390
Percent above national average: 27.60%
Number of waiters: 350

12. Walla Walla, Washington

Average salary of waiters: $30,510
Percent above national average: 27.98%
Number of waiters: 160

11. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii

Average salary of waiters: $30,540
Percent above national average: 28.08%
Number of waiters: 9,360

10. Santa Rosa, California

Average salary of waiters: $30,640
Percent above national average: 28.40%
Number of waiters: 4,140

9. Modesto, California

Average salary of waiters: $30,670
Percent above national average: 28.50%
Number of waiters: 2,270

8. Olympia-Tumwater, Washington

Average salary of waiters: $31,600
Percent above national average: 31.42%
Number of waiters: 1,540

7. Anchorage, Alaska

Average salary of waiters: $31,870
Percent above national average: 32.25%
Number of waiters: 2,810

6. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington

Average salary of waiters: $32,050
Percent above national average: 32.79%
Number of waiters: 29,160

5. Napa, California

Average salary of waiters: $32,290
Percent above national average: 33.52%
Number of waiters: 2,480

4. San Diego-Carlsbad, California

Average salary of waiters: $32,300
Percent above national average: 33.55%
Number of waiters: 29,820

3. Salinas, California

Average salary of waiters: $34,360
Percent above national average: 39.53%
Number of waiters: 3,500

2. Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington

Average salary of waiters: $34,700
Percent above national average: 40.47%
Number of waiters: 780

1. Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii

Average salary of waiters: $36,430
Percent above national average: 45.11%
Number of waiters: 2,920