Waiters and Waitresses Salary in Indiana

In Indiana, waiters and waitresses earn a median $28,480 a year, well below the national median of $35,230 (−19%); the state ranks 36th of 51 states by median. That is 40% less than the median across all occupations in Indiana ($47,860). Every neighbouring state pays more: Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky range from $29,660 in Kentucky to $37,760 in Michigan. Indiana employs 43,620 waiters and waitresses, 13.6 per 1,000 jobs, the 18th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.93 is close to the national share.

Indiana vs the United States, May 2025

Waiters and Waitresses: wage percentiles, mean, employment, jobs per 1,000 and location quotient in Indiana and nationally, May 2025
AreaBasisPercentile wageMeanEmploymentJobs per 1,000Location quotient
10th25thMedian75th90th
IndianaHourly$8.48$10.03$13.69$17.57$23.24$14.9943,62013.630.93
Annual$17,640$20,870$28,480$36,550$48,350$31,170
United StatesHourly$8.70$13.34$16.94$22.65$31.12$19.262,270,910––
Annual$18,100$27,750$35,230$47,110$64,720$40,060
$0$20k$40k$60k10th10th: $17,640$17,64025th25th: $20,870$20,870MedianMedian: $28,480$28,48075th75th: $36,550$36,55090th90th: $48,350$48,350US median
Indiana annual wage at the 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 90th percentiles; the line marks the US median. The same numbers are in the table above.
Rank by median
36th of 51 states
Rank by employment
18th of 51 states
Location quotient
0.93
Jobs per 1,000
13.63

Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Indiana's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.

Metropolitan areas in Indiana

15 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching Indiana publish a row for waiters and waitresses, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.

AreaMedian hourlyMedian annual10th pct (annual)90th pct (annual)EmploymentJobs per 1,000Location quotient
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN$17.56$36,530$23,280$74,04017,79016.151.11
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$15.00$31,200$31,200$50,41054,10011.990.82
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN$14.51$30,180$17,070$63,50010,22014.921.02
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN$13.97$29,050$18,070$49,38015,83014.320.98
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI$13.82$28,740$17,480$49,1901,97014.931.02
Fort Wayne, IN$13.78$28,650$17,430$47,8403,15013.990.96
Evansville, IN$13.73$28,550$17,440$47,6402,07015.281.05
Bloomington, IN$13.72$28,540$17,270$46,6301,62022.061.51
Kokomo, IN$13.66$28,420$18,240$47,78069019.361.33
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN$13.67$28,420$17,450$47,2501,49014.551.00
Michigan City-La Porte, IN$13.59$28,260$17,240$47,14068016.641.14
Elkhart-Goshen, IN$13.49$28,060$17,580$46,7501,0708.390.57
Terre Haute, IN$12.75$26,520$16,420$44,0701,05016.091.10
Columbus, IN$12.66$26,340$16,790$47,3804909.740.67
Muncie, IN$11.41$23,720$16,750$45,13073016.331.12
Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area$13.53$28,140$16,820$48,2902,07012.810.88
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area$11.86$24,660$16,680$45,3602,01010.220.70
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area$11.71$24,360$16,640$46,1802,37011.260.77

Neighbouring states

StateMedian hourlyMedian annualEmploymentLocation quotient
Indiana$13.69$28,48043,6200.93
Illinois$15.00$31,20072,9000.82
Kentucky$14.26$29,66027,1500.93
Michigan$18.16$37,76065,0901.01
Ohio$17.65$36,70077,2500.95

See the national page for Waiters and Waitresses (every state ranked) and the Indiana wage profile (every occupation in the state).

Source and notes

Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Indiana estimates.

  • Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
  • Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.