Waiters and Waitresses Salary in Texas
In Texas, waiters and waitresses earn a median $23,240 a year, well below the national median of $35,230 (−34%); the state ranks 45th of 51 states by median. That is 52% less than the median across all occupations in Texas ($48,620). Among neighbouring states, New Mexico and Arkansas pay more (up to $36,920 in New Mexico) and Oklahoma and Louisiana pay less (down to $15,080 in Louisiana). Texas employs 199,610 waiters and waitresses, 14.2 per 1,000 jobs, the 3rd largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.97 is close to the national share.
Texas vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Texas | Hourly | $8.21 | $8.63 | $11.18 | $17.90 | $22.88 | $14.30 | 199,610 | 14.19 | 0.97 |
| Annual | $17,070 | $17,950 | $23,240 | $37,230 | $47,590 | $29,750 | ||||
| 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
- 45th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 3rd of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 0.97
- Jobs per 1,000
- 14.19
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Texas'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 Texas
25 metropolitan areas and 6 nonmetropolitan areas touching Texas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $13.51 | $28,110 | $17,070 | $47,800 | 20,320 | 18.04 | 1.23 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $13.10 | $27,260 | $18,100 | $57,750 | 19,170 | 14.82 | 1.01 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | $12.64 | $26,290 | $16,860 | $45,520 | 780 | 14.73 | 1.01 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $11.61 | $24,160 | $17,960 | $49,510 | 53,460 | 13.20 | 0.90 |
| Midland, TX | $11.39 | $23,700 | $17,810 | $48,550 | 1,560 | 12.78 | 0.88 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | $11.22 | $23,330 | $15,710 | $44,010 | 970 | 16.89 | 1.16 |
| Waco, TX | $11.06 | $23,010 | $16,790 | $48,430 | 1,680 | 12.92 | 0.88 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | $11.05 | $22,980 | $16,370 | $45,140 | 840 | 15.03 | 1.03 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | $11.01 | $22,910 | $16,700 | $46,480 | 1,900 | 12.64 | 0.87 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $10.97 | $22,820 | $16,500 | $47,810 | 3,390 | 17.58 | 1.20 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | $10.96 | $22,800 | $16,540 | $47,530 | 2,410 | 17.97 | 1.23 |
| Amarillo, TX | $10.92 | $22,710 | $16,530 | $46,890 | 2,040 | 16.50 | 1.13 |
| Odessa, TX | $10.87 | $22,600 | $17,290 | $47,540 | 1,400 | 17.29 | 1.18 |
| Lubbock, TX | $10.85 | $22,560 | $16,290 | $46,630 | 3,040 | 18.23 | 1.25 |
| Abilene, TX | $10.83 | $22,520 | $16,290 | $47,280 | 1,080 | 14.43 | 0.99 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $10.77 | $22,400 | $16,760 | $47,490 | 2,250 | 13.80 | 0.94 |
| Tyler, TX | $10.76 | $22,370 | $16,150 | $46,890 | 1,720 | 14.93 | 1.02 |
| Victoria, TX | $10.74 | $22,330 | $16,070 | $47,020 | 580 | 15.12 | 1.04 |
| Longview, TX | $10.69 | $22,240 | $16,400 | $46,390 | 1,430 | 12.15 | 0.83 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $10.61 | $22,080 | $17,480 | $47,290 | 51,330 | 15.60 | 1.07 |
| Laredo, TX | $10.59 | $22,020 | $15,540 | $46,260 | 1,500 | 13.73 | 0.94 |
| El Paso, TX | $10.52 | $21,870 | $15,650 | $44,880 | 5,810 | 17.13 | 1.17 |
| San Angelo, TX | $10.21 | $21,230 | $15,920 | $44,570 | 810 | 16.18 | 1.11 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | $10.10 | $21,010 | $15,480 | $45,110 | 2,430 | 15.42 | 1.06 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | $9.93 | $20,650 | $15,430 | $44,210 | 3,700 | 12.49 | 0.86 |
| Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $11.49 | $23,900 | $17,350 | $47,350 | 2,960 | 14.75 | 1.01 |
| Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $11.03 | $22,950 | $17,310 | $47,710 | 1,260 | 8.41 | 0.58 |
| Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $10.72 | $22,290 | $16,900 | $47,260 | 1,400 | 12.17 | 0.83 |
| North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $10.65 | $22,150 | $17,020 | $46,500 | 3,530 | 12.81 | 0.88 |
| Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $10.64 | $22,120 | $17,150 | $48,650 | 1,860 | 9.82 | 0.67 |
| Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $10.21 | $21,230 | $16,980 | $50,180 | 450 | 9.70 | 0.66 |
Neighbouring states
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $11.18 | $23,240 | 199,610 | 0.97 |
| Arkansas | $11.86 | $24,680 | 17,880 | 0.94 |
| Louisiana | $7.25 | $15,080 | 33,870 | 1.20 |
| New Mexico | $17.75 | $36,920 | 12,740 | 1.00 |
| Oklahoma | $8.61 | $17,910 | 27,000 | 1.08 |
See the national page for Waiters and Waitresses (every state ranked) and the Texas 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 Texas 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.