Goldsboro, NC metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Goldsboro, NC?

In the Goldsboro, NC metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $28,530 a year ($13.72 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 640 of these jobs there. That is 30% below the $40,570 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $15,970 and $56,270; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and North Carolina tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $24,474 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Goldsboro, NC at a glance

Median salary

$28,530$13.72 per hour · $2,378 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$15,970$7.68/hr
25th percentile$17,750$8.54/hr
75th percentile$44,920$21.60/hr
90th percentile$56,270$27.05/hr
Jobs in this metro640Location quotient 1.09 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here30% belowAll-jobs median $40,570
Against North Carolina11% belowStatewide median $32,150
Against the U.S.19% 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 Goldsboro, NC after taxes

$28,530
$15,000$60,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$28,530
Net 86%
Fed 4%
NC 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$24,474After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,040Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$941Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate14.2%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,244 / yr
North Carolina state income tax$630 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,183 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Goldsboro, NC, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Goldsboro, NC metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (NC)
10th percentile$7.68/hr$1,331$15,970$14,620
25th percentile$8.54/hr$1,479$17,750$16,028
MedianMedian$13.72/hr$2,378$28,530$24,474
75th percentile$21.60/hr$3,743$44,920$36,990
90th percentile$27.05/hr$4,689$56,270$45,657

Is $28,530 a good salary in Goldsboro, NC?

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$59,733Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)88.511.5% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household47.8%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 Goldsboro, NC: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Goldsboro, NC?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Goldsboro, NC metro area was $28,530 in May 2025, about $2,378 a month or $13.72 an hour. Statewide, the North Carolina median for this job is $32,150, so the metro pays 11% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Goldsboro, NC?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Goldsboro, NC was $13.72 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $7.68 an hour and one in ten earned more than $27.05.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Goldsboro, NC?

BLS estimated 640 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 15.9 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.09 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Goldsboro, NC?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Goldsboro, NC run from $15,970 at the 10th percentile to $17,750 at the 25th, $44,920 at the 75th, and $56,270 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Goldsboro, NC?

On a median gross salary of $28,530, an estimated $24,474 lands in net take-home pay per year ($941 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in North Carolina in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,056 (an effective rate of 14.2%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Goldsboro, NC?

On the median annual salary of $28,530, gross monthly income is $2,378. After federal, FICA, and North Carolina state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,040 per month (or $941 every two weeks).

Is $28,530 a good salary in Goldsboro, NC?

At $28,530, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 47.8% of the Goldsboro, NC median household income ($59,733). It is 30% below the $40,570 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 88.5, so prices here run 11.5% below the U.S. average.