Johnson City, TN metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Johnson City, TN?

In the Johnson City, TN metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $22,070 a year ($10.61 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 1,460 of these jobs there. That is 49% below the $43,480 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $15,080 and $45,180; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Tennessee tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $19,785 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Johnson City, TN at a glance

Median salary

$22,070$10.61 per hour · $1,839 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$15,080$7.25/hr
25th percentile$15,080$7.25/hr
75th percentile$35,840$17.23/hr
90th percentile$45,180$21.72/hr
Jobs in this metro1,460Location quotient 1.22 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here49% belowAll-jobs median $43,480
Against Tennessee20% belowStatewide median $27,760
Against the U.S.37% 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 Johnson City, TN after taxes

$22,070
$15,000$45,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$22,070
Net 90%
Fed 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$19,785After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,649Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$761Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate10.4%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$597 / yr
Tennessee state income taxNo state wage tax$0
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$1,688 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Johnson City, TN, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Johnson City, TN metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (TN)
10th percentile$7.25/hr$1,257$15,080$13,926
25th percentile$7.25/hr$1,257$15,080$13,926
MedianMedian$10.61/hr$1,839$22,070$19,785
75th percentile$17.23/hr$2,987$35,840$30,977
90th percentile$21.72/hr$3,765$45,180$38,482

Is $22,070 a good salary in Johnson City, TN?

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$57,762Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)87.912.1% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household38.2%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 Johnson City, TN: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Johnson City, TN?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Johnson City, TN metro area was $22,070 in May 2025, about $1,839 a month or $10.61 an hour. Statewide, the Tennessee median for this job is $27,760, so the metro pays 20% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Johnson City, TN?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Johnson City, TN was $10.61 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $7.25 an hour and one in ten earned more than $21.72.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Johnson City, TN?

BLS estimated 1,460 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 17.9 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.22 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Johnson City, TN?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Johnson City, TN run from $15,080 at the 10th percentile to $15,080 at the 25th, $35,840 at the 75th, and $45,180 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Johnson City, TN?

On a median gross salary of $22,070, an estimated $19,785 lands in net take-home pay per year ($761 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Tennessee in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $2,285 (an effective rate of 10.4%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Johnson City, TN?

On the median annual salary of $22,070, gross monthly income is $1,839. After federal, FICA, and Tennessee state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,649 per month (or $761 every two weeks).

Is $22,070 a good salary in Johnson City, TN?

At $22,070, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 38.2% of the Johnson City, TN median household income ($57,762). It is 49% below the $43,480 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 87.9, so prices here run 12.1% below the U.S. average.