Waiters and Waitresses salary in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Florida tax rules.
The figures
The median Waiters and Waitresses in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area earns $37,070 a year ($17.82 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL earn between $28,860 and $49,430 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $27,310 or less and the top 10 percent earn $72,180 or more. BLS estimates 25,280 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area — 17.466 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.2 (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, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL is the #17 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL earn about $1.11 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $37,606.12 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Waiters and Waitresses is about $0.95 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.6% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL stands #10 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Waiters and Waitresses. By employment, Waiters and Waitresses is the #7 largest of the 29 covered occupations in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median of $37,070 falls between the national median ($35,230) and the national 75th percentile ($47,110). Across all occupations, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median is $48,940 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 24.3% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $21.20 | $44,090 |
| 10th percentile | $13.13 | $27,310 |
| 25th percentile | $13.87 | $28,860 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.82 | $37,070 |
| 75th percentile | $23.77 | $49,430 |
| 90th percentile | $34.70 | $72,180 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL earn 2.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($72,180 against $27,310). The middle half spans $20,570 — from $28,860 to $49,430. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($34.70) is 2.64 times the 10th ($13.13). In the upper half of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $49,430 takes home $41,897.02 and the 90th percentile wage of $72,180 takes home $59,608.74 — $17,711.72 more net for $22,750 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,965.68, the top decile keeps 1.86 times as much. The mean wage of $44,090 sits 18.9% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. Among the 29 covered occupations in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #21 by median pay. In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits between Nursing Assistants at $37,470 and Cooks, Restaurant at $37,010. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.7% of all employment in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL employs 0.6 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Florida
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Florida; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $37,070.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,268.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,298.34 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $537.51 |
| Florida income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $5,104.32 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,965.68 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,229.45 |
| Total deduction rate | 13.77% of gross |
At the median, $31,965.68 of the $37,070 gross is kept ($1,229.45 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 13.77%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 11.75% at the 10th percentile, 12.10% at the 25th percentile, 15.24% at the 75th percentile, 17.42% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $16,528.04 on a gross rise of $20,570.
The same engine at the other published points of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($27,310) | $24,099.78 | $926.91 | 11.75% |
| 25th percentile ($28,860) | $25,368.98 | $975.73 | 12.10% |
| Median ($37,070) | $31,965.68 | $1,229.45 | 13.77% |
| 75th percentile ($49,430) | $41,897.02 | $1,611.42 | 15.24% |
| 90th percentile ($72,180) | $59,608.74 | $2,292.64 | 17.42% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $24,099.78 a year at the 10th percentile to $59,608.74 at the 90th — a spread of $35,508.96 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median wage of $48,940 takes home $41,503.48 a year ($1,596.29 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.20%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $31,965.68 sits $9,537.80 (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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median of $37,070 is $1,840 (5.2%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $44,090 a year in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $4,030 (10.1%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $72,180 is 59% of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL all-occupations 90th percentile ($121,920), and its 10th percentile of $27,310 is 90% of the area-wide 10th ($30,190).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $37,070 | $17.82 | $44,090 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
$37,070 a year ($17.82 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $44,090 a year. Ranked by median pay, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL stands #10 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $37,070 in Florida?
About $31,965.68 a year ($1,229.45 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 13.77% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $49,430, take-home is $41,897.02.
How does pay in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL median of $37,070 is $1,840 (5.2%) above the national median of $35,230 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $72,180, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
$72,180 a year or more ($34.70 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
On $72,180 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $59,608.74 a year ($2,292.64 per biweekly paycheck) in Florida under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 17.42%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
BLS estimates 25,280 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area — 17.466 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
The location quotient is 1.2 — 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
From $24,099.78 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($27,310) to $59,608.74 at the 90th ($72,180), under the same single-filer assumptions in Florida.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
About $1.11 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 25,280 multiplied by the mean wage of $44,090.
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.