Decatur, AL metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Decatur, AL?

In the Decatur, AL metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $27,010 a year ($12.99 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 670 of these jobs there. That is 42% below the $46,280 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $16,210 and $36,060; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Alabama tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $22,818 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Decatur, AL at a glance

Median salary

$27,010$12.99 per hour · $2,251 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$16,210$7.79/hr
25th percentile$17,610$8.47/hr
75th percentile$29,350$14.11/hr
90th percentile$36,060$17.34/hr
Jobs in this metro670Location quotient 0.75 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here42% belowAll-jobs median $46,280
Against Alabama1% aboveStatewide median $26,840
Against the U.S.23% 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 Decatur, AL after taxes

$27,010
$15,000$55,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$27,010
Net 84%
Fed 4%
AL 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$22,818After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,902Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$878Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate15.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,091 / yr
Alabama state income tax$1,035 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,066 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Decatur, AL, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Decatur, AL metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (AL)
10th percentile$7.79/hr$1,351$16,210$14,414
25th percentile$8.47/hr$1,468$17,610$15,504
MedianMedian$12.99/hr$2,251$27,010$22,818
75th percentile$14.11/hr$2,446$29,350$24,619
90th percentile$17.34/hr$3,005$36,060$29,699

Is $27,010 a good salary in Decatur, AL?

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$68,116Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)87.212.8% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household39.7%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 Decatur, AL: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Decatur, AL?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Decatur, AL metro area was $27,010 in May 2025, about $2,251 a month or $12.99 an hour. Statewide, the Alabama median for this job is $26,840, so the metro pays 1% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Decatur, AL?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Decatur, AL was $12.99 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $7.79 an hour and one in ten earned more than $17.34.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Decatur, AL?

BLS estimated 670 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 11.0 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.75 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Decatur, AL?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Decatur, AL run from $16,210 at the 10th percentile to $17,610 at the 25th, $29,350 at the 75th, and $36,060 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Decatur, AL?

On a median gross salary of $27,010, an estimated $22,818 lands in net take-home pay per year ($878 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Alabama in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,192 (an effective rate of 15.5%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Decatur, AL?

On the median annual salary of $27,010, gross monthly income is $2,251. After federal, FICA, and Alabama state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,902 per month (or $878 every two weeks).

Is $27,010 a good salary in Decatur, AL?

At $27,010, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 39.7% of the Decatur, AL median household income ($68,116). It is 42% below the $46,280 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 87.2, so prices here run 12.8% below the U.S. average.