Pay by state · 53 areas
Food Server, Nonrestaurant Salary by State (2026)
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant earn the most in New York at $39,370 a year and the least in Louisiana at $27,200 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $35,360. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $39,370New York
- National median
- $35,360BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $27,200Louisiana
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for food servers, nonrestaurant
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, North Dakota comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1New York$39,370
- 2California$39,010
- 3Colorado$38,900
- 4Washington$38,870
- 5Alaska$38,090
Lowest median pay
- 1Louisiana$27,200
- 2Mississippi$27,250
- 3Arkansas$27,600
- 4Oklahoma$28,490
- 5Alabama$29,000
All states
Food Server, Nonrestaurant salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of food servers, nonrestaurant OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NYNew York | $39,370 | $35,660 | $48,740 | 17,520 | $36,480 |
| 2 | CACalifornia | $39,010 | $36,650 | $46,900 | 32,430 | $35,233 |
| 3 | COColorado | $38,900 | $35,990 | $45,850 | 7,750 | $37,748 |
| 4 | WAWashington | $38,870 | $36,760 | $45,790 | 8,050 | $36,323 |
| 5 | AKAlaska | $38,090 | $31,760 | $45,840 | 430 | $37,212 |
| 6 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $37,920 | $37,220 | $44,350 | 1,260 | $34,504 |
| 7 | HIHawaii | $37,920 | $33,990 | $58,090 | 880 | $34,488 |
| 8 | MEMaine | $37,680 | $34,710 | $41,310 | 540 | $38,825 |
| 9 | VTVermont | $37,540 | $36,100 | $46,410 | 780 | $38,323 |
| 10 | NDNorth Dakota | $36,910 | $34,460 | $38,310 | 1,630 | $41,491 |
| 11 | MAMassachusetts | $36,750 | $35,110 | $38,260 | 5,830 | $34,749 |
| 12 | NHNew Hampshire | $36,710 | $31,180 | $39,590 | 1,770 | $35,242 |
| 13 | MDMaryland | $36,650 | $34,450 | $38,660 | 6,600 | $34,918 |
| 14 | OROregon | $36,620 | $34,710 | $43,750 | 4,420 | $35,429 |
| 15 | NJNew Jersey | $36,390 | $33,820 | $38,690 | 11,400 | $33,445 |
| 16 | NVNevada | $36,030 | $32,970 | $41,550 | 1,820 | $36,038 |
| 17 | MNMinnesota | $36,000 | $34,680 | $38,110 | 11,090 | $36,503 |
| 18 | CTConnecticut | $35,950 | $34,930 | $37,740 | 5,050 | $34,697 |
| 19 | NMNew Mexico | $35,740 | $32,840 | $37,500 | 670 | $38,759 |
| 20 | AZArizona | $35,390 | $33,870 | $38,170 | 4,620 | $35,152 |
| 21 | VAVirginia | $35,090 | $30,630 | $36,960 | 7,420 | $34,707 |
| 22 | ILIllinois | $35,080 | $31,290 | $37,360 | 17,560 | $35,095 |
| 23 | RIRhode Island | $34,860 | $33,780 | $37,860 | 1,020 | $34,083 |
| 24 | WIWisconsin | $34,670 | $31,210 | $37,390 | 6,680 | $36,846 |
| 25 | MIMichigan | $34,260 | $30,200 | $36,770 | 7,700 | $35,607 |
| 26 | IDIdaho | $34,220 | $31,200 | $35,900 | 930 | $35,835 |
| 27 | FLFlorida | $33,930 | $30,510 | $36,200 | 19,240 | $32,810 |
| 28 | PAPennsylvania | $33,300 | $29,480 | $38,020 | 13,940 | $34,129 |
| 29 | WYWyoming | $33,090 | $23,220 | $37,930 | 250 | $35,699 |
| 30 | KYKentucky | $32,200 | $28,150 | $36,850 | 3,660 | $35,715 |
| 31 | MTMontana | $32,090 | $29,250 | $37,360 | 1,050 | $33,906 |
| 32 | SDSouth Dakota | $31,980 | $28,900 | $33,750 | 160 | $36,101 |
| 33 | INIndiana | $31,840 | $28,720 | $35,700 | 3,900 | $34,116 |
| 34 | MOMissouri | $31,840 | $29,900 | $35,590 | 7,490 | $35,060 |
| 35 | SCSouth Carolina | $31,740 | $28,460 | $35,920 | 2,990 | $33,856 |
| 36 | NENebraska | $31,540 | $29,450 | $35,190 | 3,800 | $35,004 |
| 37 | GAGeorgia | $31,530 | $28,920 | $37,040 | 4,970 | $32,744 |
| 38 | NCNorth Carolina | $31,460 | $27,880 | $37,540 | 8,820 | $33,352 |
| 39 | DEDelaware | $31,430 | $31,200 | $34,390 | 1,010 | $31,490 |
| 40 | TNTennessee | $30,670 | $27,630 | $36,180 | 5,230 | $33,384 |
| 41 | OHOhio | $30,440 | $28,340 | $36,110 | 15,320 | $32,811 |
| 42 | UTUtah | $30,170 | $27,810 | $35,930 | 2,430 | $30,517 |
| 43 | WVWest Virginia | $30,170 | $27,670 | $32,890 | 460 | $33,711 |
| 44 | IAIowa | $30,110 | $28,440 | $34,610 | 5,270 | $34,309 |
| 45 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $29,760 | $28,350 | $63,340 | N/A | N/A |
| 46 | TXTexas | $29,300 | $25,920 | $34,020 | 14,340 | $30,188 |
| 47 | KSKansas | $29,040 | $24,440 | $31,500 | 1,270 | $32,242 |
| 48 | ALAlabama | $29,000 | $27,010 | $30,860 | 2,920 | $32,649 |
| 49 | OKOklahoma | $28,490 | $26,950 | $34,800 | 1,760 | $32,433 |
| 50 | ARArkansas | $27,600 | $26,420 | $29,330 | 3,540 | $31,747 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $27,250 | $22,820 | $29,860 | 1,860 | $31,339 |
| 52 | LALouisiana | $27,200 | $21,490 | $30,150 | 2,380 | $30,837 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $21,840 | $21,840 | $23,040 | 540 | N/A |
Method
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 food servers, nonrestaurant, that changes the ranking: New York leads on raw pay at $39,370, while North Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $41,491.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Food Server, Nonrestaurant pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays food servers, nonrestaurant the most?
New York reports the highest median wage for food servers, nonrestaurant at $39,370 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by California ($39,010) and Colorado ($38,900).
Which state pays food servers, nonrestaurant the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Louisiana reports the lowest median for food servers, nonrestaurant at $27,200 a year, $12,170 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $29,760 and Puerto Rico reports $21,840.
Is the highest-paying state the best for food servers, nonrestaurant after cost of living?
Not on this data. New York pays the most on paper ($39,370) but ranks 9th of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($36,480). North Dakota leads after that adjustment at $41,491, from a raw median of $36,910. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.