Gainesville, FL metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Gainesville, FL?

In the Gainesville, FL metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $35,400 a year ($17.02 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 2,540 of these jobs there. That is 25% below the $47,020 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $27,090 and $60,390; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Florida tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $30,624 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Gainesville, FL at a glance

Median salary

$35,400$17.02 per hour · $2,950 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$27,090$13.03/hr
25th percentile$27,950$13.44/hr
75th percentile$45,430$21.84/hr
90th percentile$60,390$29.03/hr
Jobs in this metro2,540Location quotient 1.14 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here25% belowAll-jobs median $47,020
Against Florida2% belowStatewide median $36,150
Against the U.S.about the same asNational 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 Gainesville, FL after taxes

$35,400
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$35,400
Net 87%
Fed 6%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$30,624After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,552Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,178Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate13.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,068 / yr
Florida state income taxNo state wage tax$0
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,708 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Gainesville, FL, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Gainesville, FL metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (FL)
10th percentile$13.03/hr$2,258$27,090$23,919
25th percentile$13.44/hr$2,329$27,950$24,627
MedianMedian$17.02/hr$2,950$35,400$30,624
75th percentile$21.84/hr$3,786$45,430$38,683
90th percentile$29.03/hr$5,033$60,390$50,703

Is $35,400 a good salary in Gainesville, FL?

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$61,468Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)96.73.3% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household57.6%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 Gainesville, FL: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Gainesville, FL?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Gainesville, FL metro area was $35,400 in May 2025, about $2,950 a month or $17.02 an hour. Statewide, the Florida median for this job is $36,150, so the metro pays 2% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Gainesville, FL?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Gainesville, FL was $17.02 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $13.03 an hour and one in ten earned more than $29.03.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Gainesville, FL?

BLS estimated 2,540 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 16.6 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.14 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Gainesville, FL?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Gainesville, FL run from $27,090 at the 10th percentile to $27,950 at the 25th, $45,430 at the 75th, and $60,390 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Gainesville, FL?

On a median gross salary of $35,400, an estimated $30,624 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,178 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Florida in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,776 (an effective rate of 13.5%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Gainesville, FL?

On the median annual salary of $35,400, gross monthly income is $2,950. After federal, FICA, and Florida state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,552 per month (or $1,178 every two weeks).

Is $35,400 a good salary in Gainesville, FL?

At $35,400, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 57.6% of the Gainesville, FL median household income ($61,468). It is 25% below the $47,020 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 96.7, so prices here run 3.3% below the U.S. average.