Waiters and Waitresses salary in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Texas tax rules.
The figures
The median Waiters and Waitresses in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area earns $24,160 a year ($11.61 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn between $18,520 and $37,280 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $17,960 or less and the top 10 percent earn $49,510 or more. BLS estimates 53,460 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area — 13.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.9 (below the national concentration). That is 2.4% of all Waiters and Waitresses employment in the United States (2,270,910 jobs nationally). By employment, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX is the #5 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn about $1.63 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $26,710.86 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Waiters and Waitresses is about $1.43 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.6% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX stands #23 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Waiters and Waitresses. By employment, Waiters and Waitresses is the #12 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $24,160 falls below the national 25th percentile of $27,750. Across all occupations, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median is $51,440 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 53.0% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $14.68 | $30,530 |
| 10th percentile | $8.64 | $17,960 |
| 25th percentile | $8.90 | $18,520 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $11.61 | $24,160 |
| 75th percentile | $17.92 | $37,280 |
| 90th percentile | $23.80 | $49,510 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn 2.8 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($49,510 against $17,960). The middle half spans $18,760 — from $18,520 to $37,280. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($23.80) is 2.75 times the 10th ($8.64). In the upper half of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $37,280 takes home $32,134.34 and the 90th percentile wage of $49,510 takes home $41,961.42 — $9,827.08 more net for $12,230 more gross. Against the median take-home of $21,505.92, the top decile keeps 1.95 times as much. The mean wage of $30,530 sits 26.4% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. Among the 30 covered occupations in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #30 by median pay. In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits just below Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $26,900. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.3% of all employment in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX employs 1.4 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Texas
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Texas; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $24,160.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $806.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $1,497.92 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $350.32 |
| Texas income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $2,654.08 |
| Net pay (annual) | $21,505.92 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $827.15 |
| Total deduction rate | 10.99% of gross |
At the median, $21,505.92 of the $24,160 gross is kept ($827.15 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 10.99%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 8.69% at the 10th percentile, 8.96% at the 25th percentile, 13.80% at the 75th percentile, 15.25% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $15,273.14 on a gross rise of $18,760.
The same engine at the other published points of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($17,960) | $16,400.00 | $630.77 | 8.69% |
| 25th percentile ($18,520) | $16,861.20 | $648.51 | 8.96% |
| Median ($24,160) | $21,505.92 | $827.15 | 10.99% |
| 75th percentile ($37,280) | $32,134.34 | $1,235.94 | 13.80% |
| 90th percentile ($49,510) | $41,961.42 | $1,613.90 | 15.25% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $16,400.00 a year at the 10th percentile to $41,961.42 at the 90th — a spread of $25,561.42 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median wage of $51,440 takes home $43,512.08 a year ($1,673.54 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.41%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $21,505.92 sits $22,006.16 (below that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Waiters and Waitresses earns $35,230 a year ($16.94 an hour). The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $24,160 is $11,070 (31.4%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $30,530 a year in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $9,530 (23.8%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $49,510 is 37% of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX all-occupations 90th percentile ($132,080), and its 10th percentile of $17,960 is 62% of the area-wide 10th ($28,850).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $24,160 | $11.61 | $30,530 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
$24,160 a year ($11.61 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $30,530 a year. Ranked by median pay, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX stands #23 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $24,160 in Texas?
About $21,505.92 a year ($827.15 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 10.99% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $37,280, take-home is $32,134.34.
How does pay in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $24,160 is $11,070 (31.4%) below the national median of $35,230 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $49,510, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
$49,510 a year or more ($23.80 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Waiters and Waitresses in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
On $49,510 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $41,961.42 a year ($1,613.90 per biweekly paycheck) in Texas under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 15.25%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
BLS estimates 53,460 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area — 13.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
The location quotient is 0.9 — below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Waiters and Waitresses in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
From $16,400.00 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($17,960) to $41,961.42 at the 90th ($49,510), under the same single-filer assumptions in Texas.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
About $1.63 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 53,460 multiplied by the mean wage of $30,530.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.