Lafayette, LA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Lafayette, LA?

In the Lafayette, LA metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $15,080 a year ($7.25 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 3,410 of these jobs there. That is 64% below the $41,780 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $15,080 and $36,320; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Louisiana tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $13,860 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Lafayette, LA at a glance

Median salary

$15,080$7.25 per hour · $1,257 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$15,080$7.25/hr
25th percentile$15,080$7.25/hr
75th percentile$22,240$10.69/hr
90th percentile$36,320$17.46/hr
Jobs in this metro3,410Location quotient 1.30 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here64% belowAll-jobs median $41,780
Against Louisianaabout the same asStatewide median $15,080
Against the U.S.57% 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 Lafayette, LA after taxes

$15,080
$15,000$35,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$15,080
Net 92%
Fed 0%
LA 0%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$13,860After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,155Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$533Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate8.1%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$0 / yr
Louisiana state income tax$66 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$1,154 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Lafayette, LA, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Lafayette, LA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (LA)
10th percentile$7.25/hr$1,257$15,080$13,860
25th percentile$7.25/hr$1,257$15,080$13,860
MedianMedian$7.25/hr$1,257$15,080$13,860
75th percentile$10.69/hr$1,853$22,240$19,644
90th percentile$17.46/hr$3,027$36,320$30,660

Is $15,080 a good salary in Lafayette, LA?

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$60,892Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)87.212.8% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household24.8%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 Lafayette, LA: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Lafayette, LA?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Lafayette, LA metro area was $15,080 in May 2025, about $1,257 a month or $7.25 an hour. Statewide, the Louisiana median for this job is $15,080, so the metro pays about the same as the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Lafayette, LA?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Lafayette, LA was $7.25 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $7.25 an hour and one in ten earned more than $17.46.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Lafayette, LA?

BLS estimated 3,410 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 19.0 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.30 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Lafayette, LA?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Lafayette, LA run from $15,080 at the 10th percentile to $15,080 at the 25th, $22,240 at the 75th, and $36,320 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Lafayette, LA?

On a median gross salary of $15,080, an estimated $13,860 lands in net take-home pay per year ($533 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Louisiana in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $1,220 (an effective rate of 8.1%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Lafayette, LA?

On the median annual salary of $15,080, gross monthly income is $1,257. After federal, FICA, and Louisiana state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,155 per month (or $533 every two weeks).

Is $15,080 a good salary in Lafayette, LA?

At $15,080, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 24.8% of the Lafayette, LA median household income ($60,892). It is 64% below the $41,780 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 87.2, so prices here run 12.8% below the U.S. average.