Waiters and Waitresses Salary in Virginia
Waiters and Waitresses in Virginia earn a median $44,760 a year, +27% against the national median of $35,230; they and rank 9th of 51 states by median. That is 20% less than the median across all occupations in Virginia ($55,690). Among neighbouring states, District of Columbia pays more (up to $47,850 in District of Columbia) and Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee pay less (down to $27,760 in Tennessee). Virginia employs 59,370 waiters and waitresses, 14.4 per 1,000 jobs, the 11th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.99 is close to the national share.
Virginia vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Virginia | Hourly | $13.59 | $15.75 | $21.52 | $27.13 | $35.64 | $22.44 | 59,370 | 14.45 | 0.99 |
| Annual | $28,270 | $32,760 | $44,760 | $56,430 | $74,130 | $46,680 | ||||
| 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
- 9th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 11th of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 0.99
- Jobs per 1,000
- 14.45
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Virginia'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 Virginia
11 metropolitan areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas touching Virginia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $22.14 | $46,040 | $31,880 | $81,060 | 46,160 | 14.72 | 1.01 |
| Harrisonburg, VA | $21.52 | $44,760 | $27,420 | $75,660 | 1,150 | 17.57 | 1.20 |
| Charlottesville, VA | $21.17 | $44,030 | $28,700 | $77,230 | 2,140 | 18.64 | 1.28 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | $18.76 | $39,020 | $27,860 | $70,850 | 13,100 | 17.17 | 1.18 |
| Richmond, VA | $18.50 | $38,470 | $27,560 | $74,000 | 9,120 | 13.81 | 0.95 |
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | $18.23 | $37,910 | $27,310 | $61,950 | 690 | 13.42 | 0.92 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | $18.12 | $37,680 | $27,100 | $61,330 | 990 | 14.66 | 1.00 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | $18.11 | $37,670 | $26,640 | $60,090 | 1,080 | 14.64 | 1.00 |
| Roanoke, VA | $17.97 | $37,380 | $26,750 | $59,650 | 2,220 | 14.41 | 0.99 |
| Lynchburg, VA | $17.69 | $36,780 | $26,270 | $59,870 | 1,410 | 14.54 | 1.00 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | $13.56 | $28,210 | $15,080 | $48,990 | 1,800 | 15.03 | 1.03 |
| Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $17.86 | $37,140 | $26,950 | $61,500 | 1,290 | 12.48 | 0.85 |
| Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $17.74 | $36,900 | $27,050 | $75,540 | 980 | 15.05 | 1.03 |
| Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $17.60 | $36,610 | $27,420 | $73,710 | 790 | 13.64 | 0.93 |
| Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $17.13 | $35,620 | $26,280 | $60,530 | 1,240 | 10.64 | 0.73 |
Neighbouring states
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | $21.52 | $44,760 | 59,370 | 0.99 |
| District of Columbia | $23.01 | $47,850 | 11,530 | 1.12 |
| Kentucky | $14.26 | $29,660 | 27,150 | 0.93 |
| Maryland | $17.67 | $36,750 | 38,120 | 0.94 |
| North Carolina | $15.46 | $32,150 | 71,940 | 1.00 |
| Tennessee | $13.35 | $27,760 | 52,120 | 1.09 |
| West Virginia | $17.01 | $35,380 | 8,600 | 0.84 |
See the national page for Waiters and Waitresses (every state ranked) and the Virginia 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 Virginia 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.