Cleveland, TN metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Cleveland, TN?

In the Cleveland, TN metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $23,300 a year ($11.20 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 720 of these jobs there. That is 42% below the $40,230 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $15,080 and $45,660; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Tennessee tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $20,798 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Cleveland, TN at a glance

Median salary

$23,300$11.20 per hour · $1,942 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$15,080$7.25/hr
25th percentile$15,080$7.25/hr
75th percentile$30,160$14.50/hr
90th percentile$45,660$21.95/hr
Jobs in this metro720Location quotient 1.15 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here42% belowAll-jobs median $40,230
Against Tennessee16% belowStatewide median $27,760
Against the U.S.34% belowNational 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 Cleveland, TN after taxes

$23,300
$15,000$50,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$23,300
Net 89%
Fed 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$20,798After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,733Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$800Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate10.7%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$720 / yr
Tennessee state income taxNo state wage tax$0
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$1,782 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Cleveland, TN, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Cleveland, TN metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (TN)
10th percentile$7.25/hr$1,257$15,080$13,926
25th percentile$7.25/hr$1,257$15,080$13,926
MedianMedian$11.20/hr$1,942$23,300$20,798
75th percentile$14.50/hr$2,513$30,160$26,414
90th percentile$21.95/hr$3,805$45,660$38,868

Is $23,300 a good salary in Cleveland, TN?

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$66,135Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)88.111.9% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household35.2%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 Cleveland, TN: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Cleveland, TN?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Cleveland, TN metro area was $23,300 in May 2025, about $1,942 a month or $11.20 an hour. Statewide, the Tennessee median for this job is $27,760, so the metro pays 16% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Cleveland, TN?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Cleveland, TN was $11.20 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $7.25 an hour and one in ten earned more than $21.95.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Cleveland, TN?

BLS estimated 720 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 16.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.15 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Cleveland, TN?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Cleveland, TN run from $15,080 at the 10th percentile to $15,080 at the 25th, $30,160 at the 75th, and $45,660 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Cleveland, TN?

On a median gross salary of $23,300, an estimated $20,798 lands in net take-home pay per year ($800 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Tennessee in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $2,502 (an effective rate of 10.7%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Cleveland, TN?

On the median annual salary of $23,300, gross monthly income is $1,942. After federal, FICA, and Tennessee state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,733 per month (or $800 every two weeks).

Is $23,300 a good salary in Cleveland, TN?

At $23,300, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 35.2% of the Cleveland, TN median household income ($66,135). It is 42% below the $40,230 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 88.1, so prices here run 11.9% below the U.S. average.