Grand Island, NE metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Grand Island, NE?

In the Grand Island, NE metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $29,840 a year ($14.35 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 570 of these jobs there. That is 40% below the $49,410 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $28,080 and $58,120; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Nebraska tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $25,639 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Grand Island, NE at a glance

Median salary

$29,840$14.35 per hour · $2,487 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$28,080$13.50/hr
25th percentile$28,140$13.53/hr
75th percentile$46,220$22.22/hr
90th percentile$58,120$27.94/hr
Jobs in this metro570Location quotient 0.99 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here40% belowAll-jobs median $49,410
Against Nebraska12% belowStatewide median $33,770
Against the U.S.15% 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 Grand Island, NE after taxes

$29,840
$15,000$60,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$29,840
Net 86%
Fed 5%
NE 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$25,639After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,137Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$986Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate14.1%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,401 / yr
Nebraska state income tax$517 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,283 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Grand Island, NE, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Grand Island, NE metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (NE)
10th percentile$13.50/hr$2,340$28,080$24,278
25th percentile$13.53/hr$2,345$28,140$24,326
MedianMedian$14.35/hr$2,487$29,840$25,639
75th percentile$22.22/hr$3,852$46,220$38,094
90th percentile$27.94/hr$4,843$58,120$47,115

Is $29,840 a good salary in Grand Island, NE?

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$69,704Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)86.713.3% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household42.8%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 Grand Island, NE: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Grand Island, NE?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Grand Island, NE metro area was $29,840 in May 2025, about $2,487 a month or $14.35 an hour. Statewide, the Nebraska median for this job is $33,770, so the metro pays 12% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Grand Island, NE?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Grand Island, NE was $14.35 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $13.50 an hour and one in ten earned more than $27.94.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Grand Island, NE?

BLS estimated 570 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 14.4 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.99 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 Grand Island, NE?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Grand Island, NE run from $28,080 at the 10th percentile to $28,140 at the 25th, $46,220 at the 75th, and $58,120 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Grand Island, NE?

On a median gross salary of $29,840, an estimated $25,639 lands in net take-home pay per year ($986 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Nebraska in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,201 (an effective rate of 14.1%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Grand Island, NE?

On the median annual salary of $29,840, gross monthly income is $2,487. After federal, FICA, and Nebraska state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,137 per month (or $986 every two weeks).

Is $29,840 a good salary in Grand Island, NE?

At $29,840, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 42.8% of the Grand Island, NE median household income ($69,704). It is 40% below the $49,410 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 86.7, so prices here run 13.3% below the U.S. average.