El Paso, TX metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in El Paso, TX?

In the El Paso, TX metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $21,870 a year ($10.52 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 5,810 of these jobs there. That is 45% below the $39,510 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $15,650 and $44,880; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Texas tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $19,620 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in El Paso, TX at a glance

Median salary

$21,870$10.52 per hour · $1,823 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$15,650$7.52/hr
25th percentile$16,270$7.82/hr
75th percentile$34,820$16.74/hr
90th percentile$44,880$21.58/hr
Jobs in this metro5,810Location quotient 1.17 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here45% belowAll-jobs median $39,510
Against Texas6% belowStatewide median $23,240
Against the U.S.38% 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 El Paso, TX after taxes

$21,870
$15,000$45,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$21,870
Net 90%
Fed 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$19,620After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,635Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$755Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate10.3%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$577 / yr
Texas state income taxNo state wage tax$0
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$1,673 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in El Paso, TX, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the El Paso, TX metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (TX)
10th percentile$7.52/hr$1,304$15,650$14,453
25th percentile$7.82/hr$1,356$16,270$15,008
MedianMedian$10.52/hr$1,823$21,870$19,620
75th percentile$16.74/hr$2,902$34,820$30,158
90th percentile$21.58/hr$3,740$44,880$38,241

Is $21,870 a good salary in El Paso, TX?

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$59,751Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)89.910.1% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household36.6%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 El Paso, TX: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in El Paso, TX?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the El Paso, TX metro area was $21,870 in May 2025, about $1,823 a month or $10.52 an hour. Statewide, the Texas median for this job is $23,240, so the metro pays 6% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in El Paso, TX?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in El Paso, TX was $10.52 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $7.52 an hour and one in ten earned more than $21.58.

How many waiters or waitresses work in El Paso, TX?

BLS estimated 5,810 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 17.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.17 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in El Paso, TX?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in El Paso, TX run from $15,650 at the 10th percentile to $16,270 at the 25th, $34,820 at the 75th, and $44,880 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in El Paso, TX?

On a median gross salary of $21,870, an estimated $19,620 lands in net take-home pay per year ($755 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Texas in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $2,250 (an effective rate of 10.3%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in El Paso, TX?

On the median annual salary of $21,870, gross monthly income is $1,823. After federal, FICA, and Texas state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,635 per month (or $755 every two weeks).

Is $21,870 a good salary in El Paso, TX?

At $21,870, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 36.6% of the El Paso, TX median household income ($59,751). It is 45% below the $39,510 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 89.9, so prices here run 10.1% below the U.S. average.