Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Cincinnati, OH?

In the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $36,530 a year ($17.56 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 17,790 of these jobs there. That is 27% below the $50,170 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $23,280 and $74,040; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Indiana tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $30,484 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Cincinnati, OH at a glance

Median salary

$36,530$17.56 per hour · $3,044 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$23,280$11.19/hr
25th percentile$29,260$14.07/hr
75th percentile$49,640$23.87/hr
90th percentile$74,040$35.60/hr
Jobs in this metro17,790Location quotient 1.11 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here27% belowAll-jobs median $50,170
Against Indiana28% aboveStatewide median $28,480
Against the U.S.4% aboveNational 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 Cincinnati, OH after taxes

$36,530
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$36,530
Net 83%
Fed 6%
IN 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$30,484After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,540Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,172Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.6%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,204 / yr
Indiana state income tax$1,048 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,795 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Cincinnati, OH, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IN)
10th percentile$11.19/hr$1,940$23,280$20,124
25th percentile$14.07/hr$2,438$29,260$24,857
MedianMedian$17.56/hr$3,044$36,530$30,484
75th percentile$23.87/hr$4,137$49,640$40,631
90th percentile$35.60/hr$6,170$74,040$58,762

Is $36,530 a good salary in Cincinnati, OH?

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$81,120Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)95.44.6% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household45%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 Cincinnati, OH: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area was $36,530 in May 2025, about $3,044 a month or $17.56 an hour. Statewide, the Indiana median for this job is $28,480, so the metro pays 28% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN was $17.56 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $11.19 an hour and one in ten earned more than $35.60.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN?

BLS estimated 17,790 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 16.2 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.11 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN run from $23,280 at the 10th percentile to $29,260 at the 25th, $49,640 at the 75th, and $74,040 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN?

On a median gross salary of $36,530, an estimated $30,484 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,172 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Indiana in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,046 (an effective rate of 16.6%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN?

On the median annual salary of $36,530, gross monthly income is $3,044. After federal, FICA, and Indiana state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,540 per month (or $1,172 every two weeks).

Is $36,530 a good salary in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN?

At $36,530, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 45% of the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN median household income ($81,120). It is 27% below the $50,170 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 95.4, so prices here run 4.6% below the U.S. average.