Waiters and Waitresses salary in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 New York tax rules.
The figures
The median Waiters and Waitresses in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earns $47,610 a year ($22.89 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn between $35,310 and $64,480 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $33,810 or less and the top 10 percent earn $95,610 or more. BLS estimates 138,720 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area — 14.614 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 6.1% of all Waiters and Waitresses employment in the United States (2,270,910 jobs nationally). By employment, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is the #1 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn about $7.63 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $43,762.02 a year, so the aggregate take-home of New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Waiters and Waitresses is about $6.07 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ stands #3 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Waiters and Waitresses. By employment, Waiters and Waitresses is the #9 largest of the 30 covered occupations in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $47,610 falls above the national 75th percentile of $47,110. Across all occupations, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median is $61,430 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 22.5% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $26.44 | $55,000 |
| 10th percentile | $16.26 | $33,810 |
| 25th percentile | $16.98 | $35,310 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $22.89 | $47,610 |
| 75th percentile | $31.00 | $64,480 |
| 90th percentile | $45.97 | $95,610 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn 2.8 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($95,610 against $33,810). The middle half spans $29,170 — from $35,310 to $64,480. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($45.97) is 2.83 times the 10th ($16.26). In the upper half of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $64,480 takes home $50,826.36 and the 90th percentile wage of $95,610 takes home $71,079.26 — $20,252.90 more net for $31,130 more gross. Against the median take-home of $38,255.20, the top decile keeps 1.86 times as much. The mean wage of $55,000 sits 15.5% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Among the 30 covered occupations in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #20 by median pay. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits between Office Clerks, General at $47,670 and Security Guards at $43,980. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.5% of all employment in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ employs 3.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in New York
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in New York; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $47,610.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,533.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,951.82 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $690.35 |
| New York income tax | $1,973.94 |
| New York Paid Family Leave (employee contribution) | $205.68 |
| Total deductions | $9,354.80 |
| Net pay (annual) | $38,255.20 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,471.35 |
| Total deduction rate | 19.65% of gross |
At the median, $38,255.20 of the $47,610 gross is kept ($1,471.35 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 19.65%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.27% at the 10th percentile, 17.62% at the 25th percentile, 21.18% at the 75th percentile, 25.66% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $21,736.86 on a gross rise of $29,170.
The same engine at the other published points of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($33,810) | $27,971.44 | $1,075.82 | 17.27% |
| 25th percentile ($35,310) | $29,089.50 | $1,118.83 | 17.62% |
| Median ($47,610) | $38,255.20 | $1,471.35 | 19.65% |
| 75th percentile ($64,480) | $50,826.36 | $1,954.86 | 21.18% |
| 90th percentile ($95,610) | $71,079.26 | $2,733.82 | 25.66% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $27,971.44 a year at the 10th percentile to $71,079.26 at the 90th — a spread of $43,107.82 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median wage of $61,430 takes home $48,553.24 a year ($1,867.43 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.96%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $38,255.20 sits $10,298.04 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ also covers parts of New Jersey. The take-home estimate above uses New York rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Jersey paycheck calculator.
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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $47,610 is $12,380 (35.1%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $55,000 a year in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $14,940 (37.3%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $95,610 is 58% of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ all-occupations 90th percentile ($166,080), and its 10th percentile of $33,810 is 94% of the area-wide 10th ($36,130).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $47,610 | $22.89 | $55,000 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
$47,610 a year ($22.89 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $55,000 a year. Ranked by median pay, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ stands #3 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $47,610 in New York?
About $38,255.20 a year ($1,471.35 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 19.65% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $64,480, take-home is $50,826.36.
How does pay in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $47,610 is $12,380 (35.1%) above the national median of $35,230 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $95,610, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
$95,610 a year or more ($45.97 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
On $95,610 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $71,079.26 a year ($2,733.82 per biweekly paycheck) in New York under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 25.66%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
BLS estimates 138,720 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area — 14.614 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
The location quotient is 1 — about the same concentration as the nation. 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
From $27,971.44 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($33,810) to $71,079.26 at the 90th ($95,610), under the same single-filer assumptions in New York.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
About $7.63 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 138,720 multiplied by the mean wage of $55,000.
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.