Pay by state · 54 states
Server Salary by State (2026)
Waiters and Waitresses earn the most in Hawaii at $62,390 a year and the least in Louisiana at $15,080 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $35,230. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $62,390Hawaii
- National median
- $35,230BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $15,080Louisiana
- States reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Server salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of waiters and waitresses OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIHawaii | $62,390 | $30,090 | $96,010 | 14,090 | $56,743 |
| 2 | VTVermont | $59,140 | $34,840 | $78,520 | 4,040 | $60,373 |
| 3 | WAWashington | $56,130 | $45,910 | $73,840 | 45,400 | $52,452 |
| 4 | OROregon | $48,410 | $35,240 | $63,620 | 23,040 | $46,836 |
| 5 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $47,850 | $36,400 | $78,520 | 11,530 | $43,539 |
| 6 | NYNew York | $47,020 | $34,520 | $64,480 | 142,940 | $43,569 |
| 7 | NJNew Jersey | $44,960 | $35,710 | $56,410 | 55,800 | $41,322 |
| 8 | COColorado | $44,860 | $32,610 | $66,360 | 40,680 | $43,531 |
| 9 | VAVirginia | $44,760 | $32,760 | $56,430 | 59,370 | $44,271 |
| 10 | AZArizona | $43,950 | $33,850 | $63,020 | 55,950 | $43,654 |
| 11 | MEMaine | $43,370 | $32,860 | $62,910 | 9,090 | $44,688 |
| 12 | MAMassachusetts | $38,460 | $35,290 | $45,700 | 54,670 | $36,366 |
| 13 | NHNew Hampshire | $38,430 | $30,030 | $51,320 | 10,030 | $36,893 |
| 14 | CTConnecticut | $37,770 | $35,230 | $48,250 | 22,370 | $36,454 |
| 15 | MIMichigan | $37,760 | $29,350 | $58,550 | 65,090 | $39,245 |
| 16 | NMNew Mexico | $36,920 | $28,570 | $56,940 | 12,740 | $40,038 |
| 17 | DEDelaware | $36,880 | $31,200 | $46,400 | 7,580 | $36,951 |
| 18 | MDMaryland | $36,750 | $32,820 | $47,720 | 38,120 | $35,014 |
| 19 | OHOhio | $36,700 | $28,990 | $48,170 | 77,250 | $39,558 |
| 20 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $36,340 | $24,090 | $64,470 | 690 | N/A |
| 21 | FLFlorida | $36,150 | $28,550 | $47,590 | 207,180 | $34,957 |
| 22 | KSKansas | $36,120 | $26,830 | $47,690 | 19,480 | $40,103 |
| 23 | CACalifornia | $36,080 | $34,900 | $39,870 | 229,970 | $32,587 |
| 24 | RIRhode Island | $35,420 | $31,200 | $50,840 | 10,160 | $34,630 |
| 25 | WVWest Virginia | $35,380 | $22,800 | $47,430 | 8,600 | $39,532 |
| 26 | PAPennsylvania | $34,690 | $24,490 | $46,790 | 82,300 | $35,553 |
| 27 | NENebraska | $33,770 | $28,340 | $46,710 | 13,310 | $37,479 |
| 28 | NCNorth Carolina | $32,150 | $20,800 | $48,550 | 71,940 | $34,084 |
| 29 | ILIllinois | $31,200 | $31,200 | $32,720 | 72,900 | $31,213 |
| 30 | UTUtah | $31,150 | $22,470 | $48,330 | 17,790 | $31,508 |
| 31 | NDNorth Dakota | $30,890 | $21,930 | $44,960 | 5,250 | $34,724 |
| 32 | IDIdaho | $30,050 | $18,040 | $46,390 | 10,950 | $31,468 |
| 33 | WIWisconsin | $29,670 | $21,000 | $43,150 | 36,220 | $31,532 |
| 34 | KYKentucky | $29,660 | $18,170 | $45,710 | 27,150 | $32,897 |
| 35 | MOMissouri | $29,400 | $28,600 | $40,150 | 41,640 | $32,373 |
| 36 | SDSouth Dakota | $28,990 | $27,910 | $30,640 | 7,350 | $32,725 |
| 37 | INIndiana | $28,480 | $20,870 | $36,550 | 43,620 | $30,516 |
| 38 | TNTennessee | $27,760 | $16,790 | $37,380 | 52,120 | $30,217 |
| 39 | ALAlabama | $26,840 | $20,320 | $28,900 | 28,760 | $30,217 |
| 40 | NVNevada | $26,410 | $24,960 | $34,160 | 42,520 | $26,416 |
| 41 | AKAlaska | $26,310 | $25,290 | $29,540 | 3,830 | $25,704 |
| 42 | MNMinnesota | $25,470 | $23,370 | $31,940 | 37,630 | $25,826 |
| 43 | ARArkansas | $24,680 | $23,430 | $30,450 | 17,880 | $28,388 |
| 44 | WYWyoming | $23,920 | $20,800 | $38,030 | 3,620 | $25,806 |
| 45 | MTMontana | $23,370 | $22,290 | $28,960 | 7,200 | $24,692 |
| 46 | TXTexas | $23,240 | $17,950 | $37,230 | 199,610 | $23,945 |
| 47 | PRPuerto Rico | $22,790 | $21,840 | $36,690 | 12,260 | N/A |
| 48 | MSMississippi | $21,370 | $16,210 | $29,300 | 15,190 | $24,576 |
| 49 | IAIowa | $21,000 | $15,080 | $35,370 | 22,410 | $23,928 |
| 50 | GUGuam | $20,320 | $20,130 | $21,030 | 1,550 | N/A |
| 51 | GAGeorgia | $18,700 | $15,080 | $35,850 | 76,470 | $19,420 |
| 52 | SCSouth Carolina | $18,370 | $16,980 | $29,910 | 47,200 | $19,595 |
| 53 | OKOklahoma | $17,910 | $16,550 | $28,450 | 27,000 | $20,389 |
| 54 | LALouisiana | $15,080 | $15,080 | $23,350 | 33,870 | $17,096 |
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 Waiters and Waitresses, that changes the ranking: Hawaii leads on raw pay at $62,390, while Vermont leads once prices are taken into account at $60,373.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Server pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Waiters and Waitresses the most?
Hawaii reports the highest median wage for Waiters and Waitresses at $62,390 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Vermont ($59,140) and Washington ($56,130).
Which state pays Waiters and Waitresses the least?
Louisiana reports the lowest median for Waiters and Waitresses at $15,080 a year, $47,310 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Waiters and Waitresses earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Vermont first at $60,373 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $59,140. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.