Sort by any column. Employment is the number of dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper Salary by State (2026)
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers earn the most in U.S. Virgin Islands at $51,760 a year and the least in Texas at $21,550 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $33,980. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $51,760
- National median
- $33,980
- Lowest median
- $21,550
- States reporting
- 54
U.S. Virgin Islands
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Texas
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
- 1. U.S. Virgin Islands$51,760 median · no price parity · 70 employed
- 2. Hawaii$51,200 median · $46,566 adjusted · 4,380 employed
- 3. Washington$41,420 median · $38,706 adjusted · 6,160 employed
- 4. District of Columbia$39,080 median · $35,559 adjusted · 4,130 employed
- 5. Maine$38,560 median · $39,732 adjusted · 1,540 employed
Lowest-paying states for Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
- 54. Texas$21,550 median · $22,203 adjusted · 60,270 employed
- 53. Guam$21,720 median · no price parity · 300 employed
- 52. Puerto Rico$22,450 median · no price parity · 1,070 employed
- 51. Alabama$22,470 median · $25,298 adjusted · 3,420 employed
- 50. Mississippi$23,180 median · $26,658 adjusted · 2,620 employed
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | U.S. Virgin Islands | $51,760 | $37,510 | $52,000 | 70 | N/A |
| 2 | Hawaii | $51,200 | $33,340 | $61,520 | 4,380 | $46,566 |
| 3 | Washington | $41,420 | $36,390 | $48,620 | 6,160 | $38,706 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $39,080 | $36,670 | $48,200 | 4,130 | $35,559 |
| 5 | Maine | $38,560 | $33,360 | $50,220 | 1,540 | $39,732 |
| 6 | Maryland | $37,020 | $34,120 | $39,370 | 13,240 | $35,271 |
| 7 | Oregon | $36,800 | $34,080 | $40,190 | 3,910 | $35,603 |
| 8 | Colorado | $36,790 | $32,140 | $46,900 | 8,460 | $35,700 |
| 9 | New York | $36,740 | $34,060 | $46,330 | 41,340 | $34,043 |
| 10 | Arizona | $36,500 | $32,050 | $41,880 | 13,300 | $36,255 |
| 11 | California | $36,010 | $34,820 | $39,930 | 75,460 | $32,523 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $35,380 | $32,100 | $45,520 | 11,510 | $33,454 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $34,540 | $34,010 | $36,490 | 5,810 | $33,337 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $34,170 | $32,900 | $37,560 | 16,490 | $31,405 |
| 15 | Vermont | $34,120 | $32,400 | $39,940 | N/A | $34,831 |
| 16 | Florida | $33,280 | $29,530 | $37,080 | 50,400 | $32,181 |
| 17 | Virginia | $32,410 | $28,930 | $37,010 | 11,910 | $32,056 |
| 18 | Delaware | $31,880 | $31,200 | $35,840 | 1,540 | $31,941 |
| 19 | Missouri | $31,850 | $28,600 | $37,430 | 11,590 | $35,071 |
| 20 | Illinois | $31,200 | $31,200 | $34,010 | 21,290 | $31,213 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $31,200 | $31,200 | $34,600 | 2,880 | $30,504 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $31,010 | $27,050 | $35,320 | 890 | $34,859 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $30,690 | $28,500 | $36,080 | 2,160 | $34,061 |
| 24 | Michigan | $30,390 | $28,390 | $37,450 | 13,050 | $31,585 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $29,920 | $28,640 | $34,580 | 2,550 | $33,775 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $29,470 | $23,110 | $35,010 | 11,330 | $32,078 |
| 27 | Ohio | $29,400 | $26,430 | $35,300 | 13,670 | $31,690 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $29,360 | $27,390 | $34,550 | 2,960 | $31,840 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $29,310 | $23,350 | $35,430 | 20,800 | $30,039 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $29,210 | $26,090 | $34,670 | 7,220 | $29,618 |
| 31 | Georgia | $28,920 | $22,900 | $35,690 | 14,540 | $30,033 |
| 32 | Indiana | $28,320 | $23,130 | $33,340 | 10,220 | $30,344 |
| 33 | Iowa | $28,210 | $20,400 | $31,300 | 3,250 | $32,144 |
| 34 | Idaho | $27,810 | $22,110 | $31,310 | 1,520 | $29,122 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $27,670 | $25,600 | $32,310 | 2,160 | $31,828 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $27,560 | $21,470 | $32,720 | 11,230 | $29,218 |
| 37 | Montana | $27,510 | $22,530 | $34,830 | 1,150 | $29,067 |
| 38 | Nevada | $27,460 | $25,470 | $37,060 | 12,750 | $27,466 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $27,150 | $22,950 | $31,270 | 1,170 | $30,336 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $27,080 | $20,850 | $32,420 | 7,220 | $28,779 |
| 41 | Alaska | $27,040 | $25,140 | $30,790 | 860 | $26,417 |
| 42 | Utah | $27,010 | $21,690 | $34,110 | 4,490 | $27,320 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $26,830 | $21,490 | $31,290 | 5,400 | $30,543 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $26,830 | $19,110 | $33,240 | 6,220 | $28,619 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $26,780 | $18,760 | $31,840 | 4,810 | $30,360 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $26,330 | $20,640 | $30,780 | 3,350 | $29,204 |
| 47 | Kansas | $26,300 | $19,010 | $31,390 | 2,960 | $29,200 |
| 48 | New Hampshire | $26,290 | $21,000 | $34,290 | 1,510 | $25,239 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $24,600 | $21,430 | $34,790 | 650 | $26,540 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $23,180 | $20,690 | $28,210 | 2,620 | $26,658 |
| 51 | Alabama | $22,470 | $18,750 | $28,740 | 3,420 | $25,298 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $22,450 | $21,840 | $23,710 | 1,070 | N/A |
| 53 | Guam | $21,720 | $20,730 | $21,720 | 300 | N/A |
| 54 | Texas | $21,550 | $17,090 | $28,690 | 60,270 | $22,203 |
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers, that changes the ranking: U.S. Virgin Islands leads on raw pay at $51,760, while Hawaii leads once prices are taken into account at $46,566.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers the most?
U.S. Virgin Islands reports the highest median wage for Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers at $51,760 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Hawaii ($51,200) and Washington ($41,420).
Which state pays Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers the least?
Texas reports the lowest median for Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers at $21,550 a year, $30,210 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Hawaii first at $46,566 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $51,200. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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