Waiters and Waitresses salary in St. Louis, MO-IL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Missouri tax rules.
The figures
The median Waiters and Waitresses in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earns $31,200 a year ($15.00 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in St. Louis, MO-IL earn between $28,600 and $38,790 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $28,600 or less and the top 10 percent earn $62,520 or more. BLS estimates 20,170 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL area — 15.041 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.03 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 0.9% of all Waiters and Waitresses employment in the United States (2,270,910 jobs nationally). By employment, St. Louis, MO-IL is the #21 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in St. Louis, MO-IL earn about $0.79 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $32,703.12 a year, so the aggregate take-home of St. Louis, MO-IL Waiters and Waitresses is about $0.66 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3.8% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #20 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 St. Louis, MO-IL. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the St. Louis, MO-IL median of $31,200 falls between the national 25th percentile ($27,750) and the national median ($35,230). Across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median is $49,990 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 37.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $18.79 | $39,070 |
| 10th percentile | $13.75 | $28,600 |
| 25th percentile | $13.75 | $28,600 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $15.00 | $31,200 |
| 75th percentile | $18.65 | $38,790 |
| 90th percentile | $30.06 | $62,520 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in St. Louis, MO-IL earn 2.2 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($62,520 against $28,600). The middle half spans $10,190 — from $28,600 to $38,790. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($30.06) is 2.19 times the 10th ($13.75). In the upper half of the St. Louis, MO-IL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $38,790 takes home $32,491.24 and the 90th percentile wage of $62,520 takes home $50,451.06 — $17,959.82 more net for $23,730 more gross. Against the median take-home of $26,738.66, the top decile keeps 1.89 times as much. The mean wage of $39,070 sits 25.2% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in St. Louis, MO-IL. Among the 30 covered occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #30 by median pay. In the St. Louis, MO-IL wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits just below Fast Food and Counter Workers at $31,260. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.5% of all employment in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; St. Louis, MO-IL employs 0.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Missouri
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Missouri; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $31,200.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,564.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $1,934.40 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $452.40 |
| Missouri income tax | $510.69 |
| Total deductions | $4,461.34 |
| Net pay (annual) | $26,738.66 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,028.41 |
| Total deduction rate | 14.30% of gross |
At the median, $26,738.66 of the $31,200 gross is kept ($1,028.41 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 14.30%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 13.40% at the 10th percentile, 13.40% at the 25th percentile, 16.24% at the 75th percentile, 19.30% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $7,723.12 on a gross rise of $10,190.
The same engine at the other published points of the St. Louis, MO-IL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($28,600) | $24,768.12 | $952.62 | 13.40% |
| 25th percentile ($28,600) | $24,768.12 | $952.62 | 13.40% |
| Median ($31,200) | $26,738.66 | $1,028.41 | 14.30% |
| 75th percentile ($38,790) | $32,491.24 | $1,249.66 | 16.24% |
| 90th percentile ($62,520) | $50,451.06 | $1,940.43 | 19.30% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $24,768.12 a year at the 10th percentile to $50,451.06 at the 90th — a spread of $25,682.94 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median wage of $49,990 takes home $40,979.44 a year ($1,576.13 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.02%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $26,738.66 sits $14,240.78 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. St. Louis, MO-IL also covers parts of Illinois. The take-home estimate above uses Missouri 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 Illinois 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 St. Louis, MO-IL median of $31,200 is $4,030 (11.4%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $39,070 a year in St. Louis, MO-IL against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $990 (2.5%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $62,520 is 54% of the St. Louis, MO-IL all-occupations 90th percentile ($115,090), and its 10th percentile of $28,600 is 92% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $31,200 | $15.00 | $39,070 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$31,200 a year ($15.00 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $39,070 a year. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #20 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $31,200 in Missouri?
About $26,738.66 a year ($1,028.41 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 14.30% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $38,790, take-home is $32,491.24.
How does pay in St. Louis, MO-IL compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The St. Louis, MO-IL median of $31,200 is $4,030 (11.4%) below the national median of $35,230 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $62,520, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$62,520 a year or more ($30.06 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
On $62,520 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $50,451.06 a year ($1,940.43 per biweekly paycheck) in Missouri under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.30%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in St. Louis, MO-IL?
BLS estimates 20,170 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — 15.041 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The location quotient is 1.03 — 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
From $24,768.12 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($28,600) to $50,451.06 at the 90th ($62,520), under the same single-filer assumptions in Missouri.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in St. Louis, MO-IL?
About $0.79 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 20,170 multiplied by the mean wage of $39,070.
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.