Waiters and Waitresses salary in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Waiters and Waitresses in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earns $35,850 a year ($17.24 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn between $35,010 and $37,230 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $34,380 or less and the top 10 percent earn $59,200 or more. BLS estimates 85,210 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area — 13.587 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.93 (below the national concentration). That is 3.8% of all Waiters and Waitresses employment in the United States (2,270,910 jobs nationally). By employment, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is the #2 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn about $3.63 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $35,233.12 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Waiters and Waitresses is about $3.00 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.8% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA stands #15 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $35,850 falls between the national median ($35,230) and the national 75th percentile ($47,110). Across all occupations, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median is $55,850 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 35.8% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $20.50 | $42,640 |
| 10th percentile | $16.53 | $34,380 |
| 25th percentile | $16.83 | $35,010 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.24 | $35,850 |
| 75th percentile | $17.90 | $37,230 |
| 90th percentile | $28.46 | $59,200 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn 1.7 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($59,200 against $34,380). The middle half spans $2,220 — from $35,010 to $37,230. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($28.46) is 1.72 times the 10th ($16.53). In the upper half of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $37,230 takes home $31,172.78 and the 90th percentile wage of $59,200 takes home $47,452.42 — $16,279.64 more net for $21,970 more gross. Against the median take-home of $30,137.28, the top decile keeps 1.57 times as much. The mean wage of $42,640 sits 18.9% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #29 by median pay. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits between Cashiers at $36,980 and Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $34,320. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.4% of all employment in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA employs 2.2 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $35,850.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,122.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,222.70 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $519.82 |
| California income tax | $382.30 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $466.05 |
| Total deductions | $5,712.72 |
| Net pay (annual) | $30,137.28 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,159.13 |
| Total deduction rate | 15.94% of gross |
At the median, $30,137.28 of the $35,850 gross is kept ($1,159.13 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 15.94%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.55% at the 10th percentile, 15.72% at the 25th percentile, 16.27% at the 75th percentile, 19.84% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $1,665.94 on a gross rise of $2,220.
The same engine at the other published points of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($34,380) | $29,034.14 | $1,116.70 | 15.55% |
| 25th percentile ($35,010) | $29,506.84 | $1,134.88 | 15.72% |
| Median ($35,850) | $30,137.28 | $1,159.13 | 15.94% |
| 75th percentile ($37,230) | $31,172.78 | $1,198.95 | 16.27% |
| 90th percentile ($59,200) | $47,452.42 | $1,825.09 | 19.84% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,034.14 a year at the 10th percentile to $47,452.42 at the 90th — a spread of $18,418.28 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median wage of $55,850 takes home $45,005.40 a year ($1,730.98 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.42%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $30,137.28 sits $14,868.12 (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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $35,850 is $620 (1.8%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $42,640 a year in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $2,580 (6.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $59,200 is 42% of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($141,370), and its 10th percentile of $34,380 is 96% of the area-wide 10th ($35,870).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $35,850 | $17.24 | $42,640 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
$35,850 a year ($17.24 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $42,640 a year. Ranked by median pay, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA stands #15 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $35,850 in California?
About $30,137.28 a year ($1,159.13 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 15.94% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $37,230, take-home is $31,172.78.
How does pay in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $35,850 is $620 (1.8%) above the national median of $35,230 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $59,200, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
$59,200 a year or more ($28.46 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
On $59,200 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $47,452.42 a year ($1,825.09 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.84%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
BLS estimates 85,210 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area — 13.587 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
The location quotient is 0.93 — 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
From $29,034.14 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($34,380) to $47,452.42 at the 90th ($59,200), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
About $3.63 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 85,210 multiplied by the mean wage of $42,640.
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.