Jacksonville, NC metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

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

In the Jacksonville, NC metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $28,870 a year ($13.88 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 1,140 of these jobs there. That is 28% below the $40,230 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $15,480 and $57,360; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and North Carolina tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $24,734 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Jacksonville, NC at a glance

Median salary

$28,870$13.88 per hour · $2,406 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$15,480$7.44/hr
25th percentile$17,620$8.47/hr
75th percentile$46,440$22.33/hr
90th percentile$57,360$27.58/hr
Jobs in this metro1,140Location quotient 1.49 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here28% belowAll-jobs median $40,230
Against North Carolina10% belowStatewide median $32,150
Against the U.S.18% 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 Jacksonville, NC after taxes

$28,870
$15,000$60,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$28,870
Net 86%
Fed 4%
NC 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$24,734After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,061Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$951Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate14.3%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,284 / yr
North Carolina state income tax$643 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,209 / yr

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

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Jacksonville, NC metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (NC)
10th percentile$7.44/hr$1,290$15,480$14,187
25th percentile$8.47/hr$1,468$17,620$15,926
MedianMedian$13.88/hr$2,406$28,870$24,734
75th percentile$22.33/hr$3,870$46,440$38,150
90th percentile$27.58/hr$4,780$57,360$46,489

Is $28,870 a good salary in Jacksonville, 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$68,148Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)92.17.9% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household42.4%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 Jacksonville, NC: common questions

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

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Jacksonville, NC metro area was $28,870 in May 2025, about $2,406 a month or $13.88 an hour. Statewide, the North Carolina median for this job is $32,150, so the metro pays 10% below the state.

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

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Jacksonville, NC was $13.88 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $7.44 an hour and one in ten earned more than $27.58.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Jacksonville, NC?

BLS estimated 1,140 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 21.8 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.49 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

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

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Jacksonville, NC run from $15,480 at the 10th percentile to $17,620 at the 25th, $46,440 at the 75th, and $57,360 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

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

On a median gross salary of $28,870, an estimated $24,734 lands in net take-home pay per year ($951 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in North Carolina in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,136 (an effective rate of 14.3%).

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

On the median annual salary of $28,870, gross monthly income is $2,406. After federal, FICA, and North Carolina state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,061 per month (or $951 every two weeks).

Is $28,870 a good salary in Jacksonville, NC?

At $28,870, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 42.4% of the Jacksonville, NC median household income ($68,148). It is 28% below the $40,230 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 92.1, so prices here run 7.9% below the U.S. average.