Waiters and Waitresses salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earns $35,850 a year ($17.23 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn between $35,280 and $37,020 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $34,820 or less and the top 10 percent earn $82,800 or more. BLS estimates 24,050 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area — 15.635 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.07 (above the national concentration). That is 1.1% of all Waiters and Waitresses employment in the United States (2,270,910 jobs nationally). By employment, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is the #18 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn about $1.15 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $39,030.56 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Waiters and Waitresses is about $0.94 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #16 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Waiters and Waitresses. By employment, Waiters and Waitresses is the #8 largest of the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $35,850 falls between the national median ($35,230) and the national 75th percentile ($47,110). Across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median is $58,690 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 38.9% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $22.94 | $47,700 |
| 10th percentile | $16.74 | $34,820 |
| 25th percentile | $16.96 | $35,280 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.23 | $35,850 |
| 75th percentile | $17.80 | $37,020 |
| 90th percentile | $39.81 | $82,800 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn 2.4 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($82,800 against $34,820). The middle half spans $1,740 — from $35,280 to $37,020. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($39.81) is 2.38 times the 10th ($16.74). In the upper half of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $37,020 takes home $31,015.04 and the 90th percentile wage of $82,800 takes home $62,691.86 — $31,676.82 more net for $45,780 more gross. Against the median take-home of $30,137.28, the top decile keeps 2.08 times as much. The mean wage of $47,700 sits 33.1% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #29 by median pay. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits between Cashiers at $37,020 and Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $35,300. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.6% of all employment in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA employs 0.6 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: 15.67% at the 10th percentile, 15.79% at the 25th percentile, 16.22% at the 75th percentile, 24.29% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $1,305.80 on a gross rise of $1,740.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($34,820) | $29,364.16 | $1,129.39 | 15.67% |
| 25th percentile ($35,280) | $29,709.24 | $1,142.66 | 15.79% |
| Median ($35,850) | $30,137.28 | $1,159.13 | 15.94% |
| 75th percentile ($37,020) | $31,015.04 | $1,192.89 | 16.22% |
| 90th percentile ($82,800) | $62,691.86 | $2,411.23 | 24.29% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,364.16 a year at the 10th percentile to $62,691.86 at the 90th — a spread of $33,327.70 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median wage of $58,690 takes home $47,079.96 a year ($1,810.77 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.78%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $30,137.28 sits $16,942.68 (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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $35,850 is $620 (1.8%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $47,700 a year in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $7,640 (19.1%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $82,800 is 54% of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($152,580), and its 10th percentile of $34,820 is 96% of the area-wide 10th ($36,250).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $35,850 | $17.23 | $47,700 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$35,850 a year ($17.23 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $47,700 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #16 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 $37,020, take-home is $31,015.04.
How does pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, 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 $82,800, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$82,800 a year or more ($39.81 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
On $82,800 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $62,691.86 a year ($2,411.23 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 24.29%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
BLS estimates 24,050 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — 15.635 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
From $29,364.16 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($34,820) to $62,691.86 at the 90th ($82,800), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
About $1.15 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 24,050 multiplied by the mean wage of $47,700.
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.