Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Athens-Clarke County, GA?

In the Athens-Clarke County, GA metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $21,090 a year ($10.14 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 2,030 of these jobs there. That is 49% below the $41,220 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $15,080 and $47,670; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Georgia tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $18,674 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Athens-Clarke County, GA at a glance

Median salary

$21,090$10.14 per hour · $1,758 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$15,080$7.25/hr
25th percentile$15,170$7.29/hr
75th percentile$35,280$16.96/hr
90th percentile$47,670$22.92/hr
Jobs in this metro2,030Location quotient 1.45 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here49% belowAll-jobs median $41,220
Against Georgia13% aboveStatewide median $18,700
Against the U.S.40% belowNational median $35,230

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Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Waiter or waitress salary in Athens-Clarke County, GA after taxes

$21,090
$15,000$45,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$21,090
Net 89%
Fed 2%
GA 1%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$18,674After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,556Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$718Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate11.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$499 / yr
Georgia state income tax$304 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$1,613 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Athens-Clarke County, GA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Athens-Clarke County, GA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (GA)
10th percentile$7.25/hr$1,257$15,080$13,922
25th percentile$7.29/hr$1,264$15,170$14,001
MedianMedian$10.14/hr$1,758$21,090$18,674
75th percentile$16.96/hr$2,940$35,280$29,516
90th percentile$22.92/hr$3,973$47,670$38,853

Is $21,090 a good salary in Athens-Clarke County, GA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for waiters or waitresses next to both.

Median household income$65,608Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)93.36.7% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household32.1%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Do waiters or waitresses pay tax on tips?

Yes, but less than before. This job is on the Treasury's list of tipped occupations, so from 2025 through 2028 up to $25,000 a year of reported tips comes off federal taxable income, shrinking above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint). Social Security and Medicare are still owed on every tip, and most states still tax them. The BLS pay figures on this page already include tips as employers report them.

See what the tips deduction saves you →

Waiter or waitress pay in Athens-Clarke County, GA: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Athens-Clarke County, GA?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area was $21,090 in May 2025, about $1,758 a month or $10.14 an hour. Statewide, the Georgia median for this job is $18,700, so the metro pays 13% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Athens-Clarke County, GA?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Athens-Clarke County, GA was $10.14 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $7.25 an hour and one in ten earned more than $22.92.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Athens-Clarke County, GA?

BLS estimated 2,030 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 21.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.45 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Athens-Clarke County, GA?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Athens-Clarke County, GA run from $15,080 at the 10th percentile to $15,170 at the 25th, $35,280 at the 75th, and $47,670 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Athens-Clarke County, GA?

On a median gross salary of $21,090, an estimated $18,674 lands in net take-home pay per year ($718 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Georgia in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $2,416 (an effective rate of 11.5%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Athens-Clarke County, GA?

On the median annual salary of $21,090, gross monthly income is $1,758. After federal, FICA, and Georgia state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,556 per month (or $718 every two weeks).

Is $21,090 a good salary in Athens-Clarke County, GA?

At $21,090, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 32.1% of the Athens-Clarke County, GA median household income ($65,608). It is 49% below the $41,220 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 93.3, so prices here run 6.7% below the U.S. average.