Waiters and Waitresses Salary in New York
Waiters and Waitresses in New York earn a median $47,020 a year, +33% against the national median of $35,230; they and rank 6th of 51 states by median. That is 21% less than the median across all occupations in New York ($59,670). Among neighbouring states, Vermont pays more (up to $59,140 in Vermont) and New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania pay less (down to $34,690 in Pennsylvania). New York employs 142,940 waiters and waitresses, 14.8 per 1,000 jobs, the 4th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.01 is close to the national share.
New York vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York | Hourly | $16.12 | $16.60 | $22.61 | $31.00 | $40.01 | $26.32 | 142,940 | 14.75 | 1.01 |
| Annual | $33,540 | $34,520 | $47,020 | $64,480 | $83,210 | $54,750 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $8.70 | $13.34 | $16.94 | $22.65 | $31.12 | $19.26 | 2,270,910 | – | – |
| Annual | $18,100 | $27,750 | $35,230 | $47,110 | $64,720 | $40,060 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 6th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 4th of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 1.01
- Jobs per 1,000
- 14.75
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of New York'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 New York
13 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching New York 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.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $23.55 | $48,980 | $32,240 | $80,500 | 6,310 | 14.05 | 0.96 |
| Syracuse, NY | $22.90 | $47,640 | $32,240 | $79,750 | 3,430 | 11.44 | 0.78 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $22.89 | $47,610 | $33,810 | $95,610 | 138,720 | 14.61 | 1.00 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $22.57 | $46,950 | $33,500 | $79,740 | 3,930 | 14.61 | 1.00 |
| Binghamton, NY | $22.41 | $46,600 | $32,240 | $80,680 | 1,390 | 14.28 | 0.98 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $22.39 | $46,580 | $32,240 | $86,590 | 7,990 | 14.94 | 1.02 |
| Kingston, NY | $22.33 | $46,440 | $32,240 | $76,620 | 1,280 | 21.68 | 1.48 |
| Elmira, NY | $22.19 | $46,160 | $32,240 | $74,470 | 480 | 14.24 | 0.98 |
| Ithaca, NY | $22.16 | $46,090 | $32,410 | $78,100 | 620 | 13.00 | 0.89 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | $22.09 | $45,950 | $32,240 | $76,220 | 1,790 | 15.13 | 1.04 |
| Rochester, NY | $21.78 | $45,310 | $32,240 | $80,400 | 6,070 | 12.27 | 0.84 |
| Glens Falls, NY | $21.11 | $43,900 | $32,240 | $79,170 | 990 | 19.72 | 1.35 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | $18.55 | $38,590 | $32,240 | $76,020 | 710 | 18.07 | 1.24 |
| Central East New York nonmetropolitan area | $21.92 | $45,600 | $32,240 | $80,310 | 2,540 | 15.97 | 1.09 |
| Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area | $19.56 | $40,680 | $32,240 | $71,570 | 3,180 | 17.90 | 1.23 |
| Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area | $18.30 | $38,070 | $32,240 | $75,340 | 1,840 | 13.21 | 0.90 |
Neighbouring states
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $22.61 | $47,020 | 142,940 | 1.01 |
| Connecticut | $18.16 | $37,770 | 22,370 | 0.90 |
| Massachusetts | $18.49 | $38,460 | 54,670 | 1.03 |
| New Jersey | $21.62 | $44,960 | 55,800 | 0.89 |
| Pennsylvania | $16.68 | $34,690 | 82,300 | 0.93 |
| Vermont | $28.43 | $59,140 | 4,040 | 0.91 |
See the national page for Waiters and Waitresses (every state ranked) and the New York 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 New York 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.