Jonesboro, AR metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Jonesboro, AR?

In the Jonesboro, AR metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $24,680 a year ($11.86 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 920 of these jobs there. That is 42% below the $42,240 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $23,050 and $43,960; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Arkansas tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $21,496 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Jonesboro, AR at a glance

Median salary

$24,680$11.86 per hour · $2,057 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$23,050$11.08/hr
25th percentile$23,550$11.32/hr
75th percentile$29,770$14.31/hr
90th percentile$43,960$21.14/hr
Jobs in this metro920Location quotient 1.04 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here42% belowAll-jobs median $42,240
Against Arkansasabout the same asStatewide median $24,680
Against the U.S.30% 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 Jonesboro, AR after taxes

$24,680
$15,000$50,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$24,680
Net 87%
Fed 3%
AR 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$21,496After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,791Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$827Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate12.9%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$858 / yr
Arkansas state income tax$438 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$1,888 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Jonesboro, AR, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Jonesboro, AR metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (AR)
10th percentile$11.08/hr$1,921$23,050$20,209
25th percentile$11.32/hr$1,963$23,550$20,604
MedianMedian$11.86/hr$2,057$24,680$21,496
75th percentile$14.31/hr$2,481$29,770$25,484
90th percentile$21.14/hr$3,663$43,960$36,333

Is $24,680 a good salary in Jonesboro, AR?

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$56,738Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)85.914.1% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household43.5%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 Jonesboro, AR: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Jonesboro, AR?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Jonesboro, AR metro area was $24,680 in May 2025, about $2,057 a month or $11.86 an hour. Statewide, the Arkansas median for this job is $24,680, so the metro pays about the same as the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Jonesboro, AR?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Jonesboro, AR was $11.86 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $11.08 an hour and one in ten earned more than $21.14.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Jonesboro, AR?

BLS estimated 920 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 15.2 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.04 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 Jonesboro, AR?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Jonesboro, AR run from $23,050 at the 10th percentile to $23,550 at the 25th, $29,770 at the 75th, and $43,960 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Jonesboro, AR?

On a median gross salary of $24,680, an estimated $21,496 lands in net take-home pay per year ($827 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Arkansas in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $3,184 (an effective rate of 12.9%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Jonesboro, AR?

On the median annual salary of $24,680, gross monthly income is $2,057. After federal, FICA, and Arkansas state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,791 per month (or $827 every two weeks).

Is $24,680 a good salary in Jonesboro, AR?

At $24,680, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 43.5% of the Jonesboro, AR median household income ($56,738). It is 42% below the $42,240 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 85.9, so prices here run 14.1% below the U.S. average.