Waiters and Waitresses Salary in Pennsylvania
At $34,690 a year, the median for waiters and waitresses in Pennsylvania is close to the national median of $35,230 (−2%); Pennsylvania ranks 25th of 51 states by median. That is 30% less than the median across all occupations in Pennsylvania ($49,690). Every neighbouring state pays more: New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia range from $35,380 in West Virginia to $47,020 in New York. Pennsylvania employs 82,300 waiters and waitresses, 13.6 per 1,000 jobs, the 5th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.93 is close to the national share.
Pennsylvania vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $8.85 | $11.78 | $16.68 | $22.49 | $29.70 | $18.32 | 82,300 | 13.57 | 0.93 |
| Annual | $18,400 | $24,490 | $34,690 | $46,790 | $61,780 | $38,110 | ||||
| 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
- 25th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 5th of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 0.93
- Jobs per 1,000
- 13.57
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania
16 metropolitan areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas touching Pennsylvania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $17.58 | $36,570 | $21,900 | $65,340 | 41,900 | 14.46 | 0.99 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $17.05 | $35,470 | $21,440 | $61,480 | 16,120 | 14.46 | 0.99 |
| State College, PA | $16.96 | $35,280 | $17,150 | $59,750 | 1,350 | 19.54 | 1.34 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | $16.65 | $34,630 | $18,100 | $63,720 | 5,310 | 14.09 | 0.96 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | $16.47 | $34,260 | $18,040 | $62,800 | 3,920 | 11.69 | 0.80 |
| York-Hanover, PA | $16.23 | $33,750 | $17,180 | $61,820 | 2,340 | 12.73 | 0.87 |
| Lancaster, PA | $15.48 | $32,190 | $17,820 | $62,100 | 3,520 | 13.95 | 0.95 |
| Gettysburg, PA | $15.09 | $31,390 | $17,130 | $60,020 | 660 | 20.70 | 1.42 |
| Reading, PA | $14.79 | $30,760 | $16,920 | $61,650 | 2,060 | 11.80 | 0.81 |
| Lebanon, PA | $14.57 | $30,300 | $17,570 | $61,350 | 690 | 12.79 | 0.88 |
| Chambersburg, PA | $14.44 | $30,030 | $17,060 | $59,920 | 750 | 12.50 | 0.86 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | $14.31 | $29,770 | $16,850 | $60,200 | 3,200 | 12.50 | 0.86 |
| Williamsport, PA | $14.10 | $29,320 | $16,310 | $59,430 | 730 | 14.79 | 1.01 |
| Erie, PA | $13.75 | $28,590 | $16,140 | $58,250 | 1,840 | 15.24 | 1.04 |
| Johnstown, PA | $13.59 | $28,280 | $15,380 | $56,470 | 640 | 13.36 | 0.92 |
| Altoona, PA | $13.28 | $27,630 | $16,140 | $56,420 | 880 | 14.95 | 1.02 |
| Southwestern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area | $14.01 | $29,140 | $16,450 | $57,270 | 1,950 | 13.86 | 0.95 |
| Northeastern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area | $13.87 | $28,840 | $16,100 | $58,080 | 2,490 | 19.23 | 1.32 |
| Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area | $13.69 | $28,480 | $16,580 | $59,240 | 2,240 | 11.96 | 0.82 |
| Northwestern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area | $13.49 | $28,070 | $16,070 | $57,340 | 1,810 | 12.12 | 0.83 |
Neighbouring states
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | $16.68 | $34,690 | 82,300 | 0.93 |
| Delaware | $17.73 | $36,880 | 7,580 | 1.07 |
| Maryland | $17.67 | $36,750 | 38,120 | 0.94 |
| New Jersey | $21.62 | $44,960 | 55,800 | 0.89 |
| New York | $22.61 | $47,020 | 142,940 | 1.01 |
| Ohio | $17.65 | $36,700 | 77,250 | 0.95 |
| West Virginia | $17.01 | $35,380 | 8,600 | 0.84 |
See the national page for Waiters and Waitresses (every state ranked) and the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.