Florence, SC metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Florence, SC?

In the Florence, SC metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $17,460 a year ($8.39 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 1,250 of these jobs there. That is 60% below the $43,520 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $15,080 and $42,120; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and South Carolina tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $15,939 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Florence, SC at a glance

Median salary

$17,460$8.39 per hour · $1,455 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$15,080$7.25/hr
25th percentile$16,500$7.93/hr
75th percentile$28,320$13.62/hr
90th percentile$42,120$20.25/hr
Jobs in this metro1,250Location quotient 0.96 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here60% belowAll-jobs median $43,520
Against South Carolina5% belowStatewide median $18,370
Against the U.S.50% belowNational 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 Florence, SC after taxes

$17,460
$15,000$35,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$17,460
Net 91%
Fed 1%
SC 0%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$15,939After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,328Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$613Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate8.7%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$136 / yr
South Carolina state income tax$49 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$1,336 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Florence, SC, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Florence, SC metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (SC)
10th percentile$7.25/hr$1,257$15,080$13,925
25th percentile$7.93/hr$1,375$16,500$15,168
MedianMedian$8.39/hr$1,455$17,460$15,939
75th percentile$13.62/hr$2,360$28,320$24,666
90th percentile$20.25/hr$3,510$42,120$35,472

Is $17,460 a good salary in Florence, SC?

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$54,443Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)86.813.2% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household32.1%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 Florence, SC: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Florence, SC?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Florence, SC metro area was $17,460 in May 2025, about $1,455 a month or $8.39 an hour. Statewide, the South Carolina median for this job is $18,370, so the metro pays 5% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Florence, SC?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Florence, SC was $8.39 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $7.25 an hour and one in ten earned more than $20.25.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Florence, SC?

BLS estimated 1,250 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 14.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.96 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 Florence, SC?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Florence, SC run from $15,080 at the 10th percentile to $16,500 at the 25th, $28,320 at the 75th, and $42,120 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Florence, SC?

On a median gross salary of $17,460, an estimated $15,939 lands in net take-home pay per year ($613 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in South Carolina in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $1,521 (an effective rate of 8.7%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Florence, SC?

On the median annual salary of $17,460, gross monthly income is $1,455. After federal, FICA, and South Carolina state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,328 per month (or $613 every two weeks).

Is $17,460 a good salary in Florence, SC?

At $17,460, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 32.1% of the Florence, SC median household income ($54,443). It is 60% below the $43,520 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 86.8, so prices here run 13.2% below the U.S. average.