Charlottesville, VA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Charlottesville, VA?

In the Charlottesville, VA metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $44,030 a year ($21.17 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 2,140 of these jobs there. That is 20% below the $55,180 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $28,700 and $77,230; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Virginia tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $35,840 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Charlottesville, VA at a glance

Median salary

$44,030$21.17 per hour · $3,669 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$28,700$13.80/hr
25th percentile$34,950$16.80/hr
75th percentile$56,850$27.33/hr
90th percentile$77,230$37.13/hr
Jobs in this metro2,140Location quotient 1.28 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here20% belowAll-jobs median $55,180
Against Virginia2% belowStatewide median $44,760
Against the U.S.25% aboveNational median $35,230

Run the numbers on your own pay

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

Waiter or waitress salary in Charlottesville, VA after taxes

$44,030
$15,000$90,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$44,030
Net 81%
Fed 7%
VA 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$35,840After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,987Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,378Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate18.6%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,104 / yr
Virginia state income tax$1,718 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,368 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Charlottesville, VA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Charlottesville, VA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Charlottesville, VA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (VA)
10th percentile$13.80/hr$2,392$28,700$24,404
25th percentile$16.80/hr$2,913$34,950$29,067
MedianMedian$21.17/hr$3,669$44,030$35,840
75th percentile$27.33/hr$4,738$56,850$45,404
90th percentile$37.13/hr$6,436$77,230$59,535

Is $44,030 a good salary in Charlottesville, VA?

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$93,598Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)99.10.9% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household47%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 Charlottesville, VA: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Charlottesville, VA?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Charlottesville, VA metro area was $44,030 in May 2025, about $3,669 a month or $21.17 an hour. Statewide, the Virginia median for this job is $44,760, so the metro pays 2% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Charlottesville, VA?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Charlottesville, VA was $21.17 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $13.80 an hour and one in ten earned more than $37.13.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Charlottesville, VA?

BLS estimated 2,140 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 18.6 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.28 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Charlottesville, VA?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Charlottesville, VA run from $28,700 at the 10th percentile to $34,950 at the 25th, $56,850 at the 75th, and $77,230 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Charlottesville, VA?

On a median gross salary of $44,030, an estimated $35,840 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,378 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Virginia in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $8,190 (an effective rate of 18.6%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Charlottesville, VA?

On the median annual salary of $44,030, gross monthly income is $3,669. After federal, FICA, and Virginia state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,987 per month (or $1,378 every two weeks).

Is $44,030 a good salary in Charlottesville, VA?

At $44,030, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 47% of the Charlottesville, VA median household income ($93,598). It is 20% below the $55,180 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 99.1, so prices here run 0.9% below the U.S. average.