Waiters and Waitresses salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
Take-home estimate: 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. Full breakdown below.
The figures
The median Waiters and Waitresses in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earns $38,860 a year ($18.69 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn between $36,880 and $43,310 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $35,780 or less and the top 10 percent earn $74,900 or more. BLS estimates 29,080 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area — 12.249 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.84 (below the national concentration). That is 1.3% of all Waiters and Waitresses employment in the United States (2,270,910 jobs nationally). By employment, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is the #14 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn about $1.35 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $38,099.96 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Waiters and Waitresses is about $1.11 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.7% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA stands #8 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $38,860 falls between the national median ($35,230) and the national 75th percentile ($47,110). Across all occupations, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median is $74,260 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 47.7% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $22.34 | $46,460 |
| 10th percentile | $17.20 | $35,780 |
| 25th percentile | $17.73 | $36,880 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $18.69 | $38,860 |
| 75th percentile | $20.82 | $43,310 |
| 90th percentile | $36.01 | $74,900 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn 2.1 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($74,900 against $35,780). The middle half spans $6,430 — from $36,880 to $43,310. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($36.01) is 2.09 times the 10th ($17.20). In the upper half of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $43,310 takes home $35,735.94 and the 90th percentile wage of $74,900 takes home $57,891.32 — $22,155.38 more net for $31,590 more gross. Against the median take-home of $32,396.14, the top decile keeps 1.79 times as much. The mean wage of $46,460 sits 19.6% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #29 by median pay. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits between Cashiers at $41,270 and Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $35,950. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.2% of all employment in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA employs 0.7 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) | $38,860.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,483.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,409.32 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $563.47 |
| California income tax | $502.70 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $505.18 |
| Total deductions | $6,463.86 |
| Net pay (annual) | $32,396.14 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,246.01 |
| Total deduction rate | 16.63% of gross |
At the median, $32,396.14 of the $38,860 gross is kept ($1,246.01 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 16.63%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.92% at the 10th percentile, 16.19% at the 25th percentile, 17.49% at the 75th percentile, 22.71% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $4,825.80 on a gross rise of $6,430.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($35,780) | $30,084.70 | $1,157.10 | 15.92% |
| 25th percentile ($36,880) | $30,910.14 | $1,188.85 | 16.19% |
| Median ($38,860) | $32,396.14 | $1,246.01 | 16.63% |
| 75th percentile ($43,310) | $35,735.94 | $1,374.46 | 17.49% |
| 90th percentile ($74,900) | $57,891.32 | $2,226.59 | 22.71% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $30,084.70 a year at the 10th percentile to $57,891.32 at the 90th — a spread of $27,806.62 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median wage of $74,260 takes home $57,500.66 a year ($2,211.56 per paycheck, deduction rate 22.57%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $32,396.14 sits $25,104.52 (43.7%) below the area-wide median take-home of $57,500.66.
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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $38,860 is $3,630 (10.3%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $46,460 a year in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $6,400 (16.0%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $74,900 is 37% of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($203,570), and its 10th percentile of $35,780 is 91% of the area-wide 10th ($39,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $38,860 | $18.69 | $46,460 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
$38,860 a year ($18.69 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $46,460 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA stands #8 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $38,860 in California?
About $32,396.14 a year ($1,246.01 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 16.63% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $43,310, take-home is $35,735.94.
How does pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $38,860 is $3,630 (10.3%) above the national median of $35,230 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $74,900, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
$74,900 a year or more ($36.01 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
On $74,900 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $57,891.32 a year ($2,226.59 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 22.71%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
BLS estimates 29,080 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area — 12.249 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
The location quotient is 0.84 — 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
From $30,084.70 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($35,780) to $57,891.32 at the 90th ($74,900), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
About $1.35 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 29,080 multiplied by the mean wage of $46,460.
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.