Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Cape Girardeau, MO?

In the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $28,710 a year ($13.81 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 820 of these jobs there. That is 35% below the $44,470 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $28,600 and $60,520; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Illinois tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $23,972 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Cape Girardeau, MO at a glance

Median salary

$28,710$13.81 per hour · $2,393 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$28,600$13.75/hr
25th percentile$28,600$13.75/hr
75th percentile$37,290$17.93/hr
90th percentile$60,520$29.10/hr
Jobs in this metro820Location quotient 1.26 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here35% belowAll-jobs median $44,470
Against Illinois8% belowStatewide median $31,200
Against the U.S.19% 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 Cape Girardeau, MO after taxes

$28,710
$15,000$60,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$28,710
Net 83%
Fed 4%
IL 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$23,972After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,998Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$922Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,265 / yr
Illinois state income tax$1,276 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,196 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Cape Girardeau, MO, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IL)
10th percentile$13.75/hr$2,383$28,600$23,889
25th percentile$13.75/hr$2,383$28,600$23,889
MedianMedian$13.81/hr$2,393$28,710$23,972
75th percentile$17.93/hr$3,108$37,290$30,441
90th percentile$29.10/hr$5,043$60,520$47,957

Is $28,710 a good salary in Cape Girardeau, MO?

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$66,759Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)86.113.9% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household43%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 Cape Girardeau, MO: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area was $28,710 in May 2025, about $2,393 a month or $13.81 an hour. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $31,200, so the metro pays 8% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL was $13.81 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $13.75 an hour and one in ten earned more than $29.10.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?

BLS estimated 820 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 18.4 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.26 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL run from $28,600 at the 10th percentile to $28,600 at the 25th, $37,290 at the 75th, and $60,520 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?

On a median gross salary of $28,710, an estimated $23,972 lands in net take-home pay per year ($922 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,738 (an effective rate of 16.5%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?

On the median annual salary of $28,710, gross monthly income is $2,393. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,998 per month (or $922 every two weeks).

Is $28,710 a good salary in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?

At $28,710, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 43% of the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL median household income ($66,759). It is 35% below the $44,470 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 86.1, so prices here run 13.9% below the U.S. average.