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.
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 Puerto Rico at $21,840 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $35,360. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $39,370
- National median
- $35,360
- Lowest median
- $21,840
- States reporting
- 53
New York
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
- 1. New York$39,370 median · $36,480 adjusted · 17,520 employed
- 2. California$39,010 median · $35,233 adjusted · 32,430 employed
- 3. Colorado$38,900 median · $37,748 adjusted · 7,750 employed
- 4. Washington$38,870 median · $36,323 adjusted · 8,050 employed
- 5. Alaska$38,090 median · $37,212 adjusted · 430 employed
Lowest-paying states for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
- 53. Puerto Rico$21,840 median · no price parity · 540 employed
- 52. Louisiana$27,200 median · $30,837 adjusted · 2,380 employed
- 51. Mississippi$27,250 median · $31,339 adjusted · 1,860 employed
- 50. Arkansas$27,600 median · $31,747 adjusted · 3,540 employed
- 49. Oklahoma$28,490 median · $32,433 adjusted · 1,760 employed
Food Server, Nonrestaurant salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $39,370 | $35,660 | $48,740 | 17,520 | $36,480 |
| 2 | California | $39,010 | $36,650 | $46,900 | 32,430 | $35,233 |
| 3 | Colorado | $38,900 | $35,990 | $45,850 | 7,750 | $37,748 |
| 4 | Washington | $38,870 | $36,760 | $45,790 | 8,050 | $36,323 |
| 5 | Alaska | $38,090 | $31,760 | $45,840 | 430 | $37,212 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $37,920 | $37,220 | $44,350 | 1,260 | $34,504 |
| 7 | Hawaii | $37,920 | $33,990 | $58,090 | 880 | $34,488 |
| 8 | Maine | $37,680 | $34,710 | $41,310 | 540 | $38,825 |
| 9 | Vermont | $37,540 | $36,100 | $46,410 | 780 | $38,323 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $36,910 | $34,460 | $38,310 | 1,630 | $41,491 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $36,750 | $35,110 | $38,260 | 5,830 | $34,749 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $36,710 | $31,180 | $39,590 | 1,770 | $35,242 |
| 13 | Maryland | $36,650 | $34,450 | $38,660 | 6,600 | $34,918 |
| 14 | Oregon | $36,620 | $34,710 | $43,750 | 4,420 | $35,429 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $36,390 | $33,820 | $38,690 | 11,400 | $33,445 |
| 16 | Nevada | $36,030 | $32,970 | $41,550 | 1,820 | $36,038 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $36,000 | $34,680 | $38,110 | 11,090 | $36,503 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $35,950 | $34,930 | $37,740 | 5,050 | $34,697 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $35,740 | $32,840 | $37,500 | 670 | $38,759 |
| 20 | Arizona | $35,390 | $33,870 | $38,170 | 4,620 | $35,152 |
| 21 | Virginia | $35,090 | $30,630 | $36,960 | 7,420 | $34,707 |
| 22 | Illinois | $35,080 | $31,290 | $37,360 | 17,560 | $35,095 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $34,860 | $33,780 | $37,860 | 1,020 | $34,083 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $34,670 | $31,210 | $37,390 | 6,680 | $36,846 |
| 25 | Michigan | $34,260 | $30,200 | $36,770 | 7,700 | $35,607 |
| 26 | Idaho | $34,220 | $31,200 | $35,900 | 930 | $35,835 |
| 27 | Florida | $33,930 | $30,510 | $36,200 | 19,240 | $32,810 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $33,300 | $29,480 | $38,020 | 13,940 | $34,129 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $33,090 | $23,220 | $37,930 | 250 | $35,699 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $32,200 | $28,150 | $36,850 | 3,660 | $35,715 |
| 31 | Montana | $32,090 | $29,250 | $37,360 | 1,050 | $33,906 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $31,980 | $28,900 | $33,750 | 160 | $36,101 |
| 33 | Indiana | $31,840 | $28,720 | $35,700 | 3,900 | $34,116 |
| 34 | Missouri | $31,840 | $29,900 | $35,590 | 7,490 | $35,060 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $31,740 | $28,460 | $35,920 | 2,990 | $33,856 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $31,540 | $29,450 | $35,190 | 3,800 | $35,004 |
| 37 | Georgia | $31,530 | $28,920 | $37,040 | 4,970 | $32,744 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $31,460 | $27,880 | $37,540 | 8,820 | $33,352 |
| 39 | Delaware | $31,430 | $31,200 | $34,390 | 1,010 | $31,490 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $30,670 | $27,630 | $36,180 | 5,230 | $33,384 |
| 41 | Ohio | $30,440 | $28,340 | $36,110 | 15,320 | $32,811 |
| 42 | Utah | $30,170 | $27,810 | $35,930 | 2,430 | $30,517 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $30,170 | $27,670 | $32,890 | 460 | $33,711 |
| 44 | Iowa | $30,110 | $28,440 | $34,610 | 5,270 | $34,309 |
| 45 | U.S. Virgin Islands | $29,760 | $28,350 | $63,340 | N/A | N/A |
| 46 | Texas | $29,300 | $25,920 | $34,020 | 14,340 | $30,188 |
| 47 | Kansas | $29,040 | $24,440 | $31,500 | 1,270 | $32,242 |
| 48 | Alabama | $29,000 | $27,010 | $30,860 | 2,920 | $32,649 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $28,490 | $26,950 | $34,800 | 1,760 | $32,433 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $27,600 | $26,420 | $29,330 | 3,540 | $31,747 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $27,250 | $22,820 | $29,860 | 1,860 | $31,339 |
| 52 | Louisiana | $27,200 | $21,490 | $30,150 | 2,380 | $30,837 |
| 53 | Puerto Rico | $21,840 | $21,840 | $23,040 | 540 | N/A |
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.
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?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant at $21,840 a year, $17,530 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Food Servers, Nonrestaurant earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts North Dakota first at $41,491 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $36,910. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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