Elizabethtown, KY metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Elizabethtown, KY?

In the Elizabethtown, KY metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $30,270 a year ($14.55 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 760 of these jobs there. That is 35% below the $46,810 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $16,150 and $60,300; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Kentucky tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $25,560 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Elizabethtown, KY at a glance

Median salary

$30,270$14.55 per hour · $2,523 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$16,150$7.76/hr
25th percentile$18,260$8.78/hr
75th percentile$47,460$22.82/hr
90th percentile$60,300$28.99/hr
Jobs in this metro760Location quotient 1.00 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here35% belowAll-jobs median $46,810
Against Kentucky2% aboveStatewide median $29,660
Against the U.S.14% 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 Elizabethtown, KY after taxes

$30,270
$15,000$65,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$30,270
Net 84%
Fed 5%
KY 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$25,560After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,130Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$983Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate15.6%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,452 / yr
Kentucky state income tax$942 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,316 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Elizabethtown, KY, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Elizabethtown, KY metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (KY)
10th percentile$7.76/hr$1,346$16,150$14,865
25th percentile$8.78/hr$1,522$18,260$16,439
MedianMedian$14.55/hr$2,523$30,270$25,560
75th percentile$22.82/hr$3,955$47,460$38,771
90th percentile$28.99/hr$5,025$60,300$48,638

Is $30,270 a good salary in Elizabethtown, KY?

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$67,534Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)90.69.4% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household44.8%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 Elizabethtown, KY: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Elizabethtown, KY?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Elizabethtown, KY metro area was $30,270 in May 2025, about $2,523 a month or $14.55 an hour. Statewide, the Kentucky median for this job is $29,660, so the metro pays 2% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Elizabethtown, KY?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Elizabethtown, KY was $14.55 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $7.76 an hour and one in ten earned more than $28.99.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Elizabethtown, KY?

BLS estimated 760 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 14.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.00 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Elizabethtown, KY?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Elizabethtown, KY run from $16,150 at the 10th percentile to $18,260 at the 25th, $47,460 at the 75th, and $60,300 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Elizabethtown, KY?

On a median gross salary of $30,270, an estimated $25,560 lands in net take-home pay per year ($983 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Kentucky in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,710 (an effective rate of 15.6%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Elizabethtown, KY?

On the median annual salary of $30,270, gross monthly income is $2,523. After federal, FICA, and Kentucky state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,130 per month (or $983 every two weeks).

Is $30,270 a good salary in Elizabethtown, KY?

At $30,270, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 44.8% of the Elizabethtown, KY median household income ($67,534). It is 35% below the $46,810 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 90.6, so prices here run 9.4% below the U.S. average.