Waiter or waitress pay in Fort Smith, AR at a glance
Median salary
$23,680$11.39 per hour · $1,973 monthly · BLS May 2025Run the numbers on your own pay
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Waiter or waitress salary in Fort Smith, AR after taxes
Waiters or waitresses pay range in Fort Smith, AR, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the Fort Smith, AR-OK metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.
| Percentile | Hourly | Monthly | Yearly | After tax a year (AR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $11.00/hr | $1,907 | $22,880 | $20,075 |
| 25th percentile | $11.13/hr | $1,928 | $23,140 | $20,280 |
| MedianMedian | $11.39/hr | $1,973 | $23,680 | $20,706 |
| 75th percentile | $13.26/hr | $2,298 | $27,580 | $23,785 |
| 90th percentile | $18.31/hr | $3,174 | $38,090 | $31,845 |
Is $23,680 a good salary in Fort Smith, AR?
It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for waiters or waitresses next to both.
Waiters or waitresses pay in Arkansas and across the U.S.
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.
Waiter or waitress pay in Fort Smith, AR: common questions
What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Fort Smith, AR-OK?
The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area was $23,680 in May 2025, about $1,973 a month or $11.39 an hour. Statewide, the Arkansas median for this job is $24,680, so the metro pays 4% below the state.
What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Fort Smith, AR-OK?
The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Fort Smith, AR-OK was $11.39 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $11.00 an hour and one in ten earned more than $18.31.
How many waiters or waitresses work in Fort Smith, AR-OK?
BLS estimated 1,410 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 14.8 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.01 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 Fort Smith, AR-OK?
BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Fort Smith, AR-OK run from $22,880 at the 10th percentile to $23,140 at the 25th, $27,580 at the 75th, and $38,090 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Fort Smith, AR-OK?
On a median gross salary of $23,680, an estimated $20,706 lands in net take-home pay per year ($796 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Arkansas in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $2,974 (an effective rate of 12.6%).
How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Fort Smith, AR-OK?
On the median annual salary of $23,680, gross monthly income is $1,973. After federal, FICA, and Arkansas state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,726 per month (or $796 every two weeks).
Is $23,680 a good salary in Fort Smith, AR-OK?
At $23,680, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 40.5% of the Fort Smith, AR-OK median household income ($58,468). It is 40% below the $39,560 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 85.9, so prices here run 14.1% below the U.S. average.