Waiters and Waitresses salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earns $22,080 a year ($10.61 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn between $17,870 and $37,390 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $17,480 or less and the top 10 percent earn $47,290 or more. BLS estimates 51,330 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX area — 15.604 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.07 (above the national concentration). That is 2.3% of all Waiters and Waitresses employment in the United States (2,270,910 jobs nationally). By employment, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is the #6 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn about $1.50 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $25,626.32 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Waiters and Waitresses is about $1.32 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.9% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX stands #24 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Waiters and Waitresses. By employment, Waiters and Waitresses is the #10 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $22,080 falls below the national 25th percentile of $27,750. Across all occupations, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median is $49,410 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 55.3% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $14.03 | $29,180 |
| 10th percentile | $8.41 | $17,480 |
| 25th percentile | $8.59 | $17,870 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $10.61 | $22,080 |
| 75th percentile | $17.97 | $37,390 |
| 90th percentile | $22.74 | $47,290 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn 2.7 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($47,290 against $17,480). The middle half spans $19,520 — from $17,870 to $37,390. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.74) is 2.70 times the 10th ($8.41). In the upper half of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $37,390 takes home $32,223.02 and the 90th percentile wage of $47,290 takes home $40,177.44 — $7,954.42 more net for $9,900 more gross. Against the median take-home of $19,793.04, the top decile keeps 2.03 times as much. The mean wage of $29,180 sits 32.2% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Among the 30 covered occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #30 by median pay. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits just below Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $23,440. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.6% of all employment in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX employs 1.3 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) | $22,080.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $598.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $1,368.96 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $320.16 |
| Texas income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $2,286.96 |
| Net pay (annual) | $19,793.04 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $761.27 |
| Total deduction rate | 10.36% of gross |
At the median, $19,793.04 of the $22,080 gross is kept ($761.27 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 10.36%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 8.44% at the 10th percentile, 8.64% at the 25th percentile, 13.82% at the 75th percentile, 15.04% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $15,897.16 on a gross rise of $19,520.
The same engine at the other published points of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($17,480) | $16,004.76 | $615.57 | 8.44% |
| 25th percentile ($17,870) | $16,325.86 | $627.92 | 8.64% |
| Median ($22,080) | $19,793.04 | $761.27 | 10.36% |
| 75th percentile ($37,390) | $32,223.02 | $1,239.35 | 13.82% |
| 90th percentile ($47,290) | $40,177.44 | $1,545.29 | 15.04% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $16,004.76 a year at the 10th percentile to $40,177.44 at the 90th — a spread of $24,172.68 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median wage of $49,410 takes home $41,880.92 a year ($1,610.80 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.24%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $19,793.04 sits $22,087.88 (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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $22,080 is $13,150 (37.3%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $29,180 a year in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $10,880 (27.2%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $47,290 is 37% of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX all-occupations 90th percentile ($128,040), and its 10th percentile of $17,480 is 64% of the area-wide 10th ($27,380).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $22,080 | $10.61 | $29,180 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
$22,080 a year ($10.61 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $29,180 a year. Ranked by median pay, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX stands #24 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $22,080 in Texas?
About $19,793.04 a year ($761.27 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 10.36% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $37,390, take-home is $32,223.02.
How does pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $22,080 is $13,150 (37.3%) below the national median of $35,230 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $47,290, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
$47,290 a year or more ($22.74 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
On $47,290 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $40,177.44 a year ($1,545.29 per biweekly paycheck) in Texas under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 15.04%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
BLS estimates 51,330 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area — 15.604 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The location quotient is 1.07 — above 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
From $16,004.76 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($17,480) to $40,177.44 at the 90th ($47,290), under the same single-filer assumptions in Texas.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
About $1.50 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 51,330 multiplied by the mean wage of $29,180.
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.