Lewiston, ID-WA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Lewiston, ID?

In the Lewiston, ID-WA metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $36,240 a year ($17.43 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 310 of these jobs there. That is 25% below the $48,300 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $17,670 and $73,070; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Idaho tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $30,468 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Lewiston, ID at a glance

Median salary

$36,240$17.43 per hour · $3,020 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$17,670$8.50/hr
25th percentile$23,000$11.06/hr
75th percentile$55,270$26.57/hr
90th percentile$73,070$35.13/hr
Jobs in this metro310Location quotient 0.74 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here25% belowAll-jobs median $48,300
Against Idaho21% aboveStatewide median $30,050
Against the U.S.3% aboveNational median $35,230

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Waiter or waitress salary in Lewiston, ID after taxes

$36,240
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$36,240
Net 84%
Fed 6%
ID 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$30,468After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,539Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,172Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate15.9%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,169 / yr
Idaho state income tax$831 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,772 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Lewiston, ID, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Lewiston, ID-WA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (ID)
10th percentile$8.50/hr$1,473$17,670$16,161
25th percentile$11.06/hr$1,917$23,000$20,421
MedianMedian$17.43/hr$3,020$36,240$30,468
75th percentile$26.57/hr$4,606$55,270$44,750
90th percentile$35.13/hr$6,089$73,070$57,452

Is $36,240 a good salary in Lewiston, ID?

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$72,475Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)91.28.8% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household50%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 Lewiston, ID: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Lewiston, ID-WA?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Lewiston, ID-WA metro area was $36,240 in May 2025, about $3,020 a month or $17.43 an hour. Statewide, the Idaho median for this job is $30,050, so the metro pays 21% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Lewiston, ID-WA?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Lewiston, ID-WA was $17.43 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $8.50 an hour and one in ten earned more than $35.13.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Lewiston, ID-WA?

BLS estimated 310 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 10.8 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.74 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Lewiston, ID-WA?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Lewiston, ID-WA run from $17,670 at the 10th percentile to $23,000 at the 25th, $55,270 at the 75th, and $73,070 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Lewiston, ID-WA?

On a median gross salary of $36,240, an estimated $30,468 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,172 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Idaho in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,772 (an effective rate of 15.9%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Lewiston, ID-WA?

On the median annual salary of $36,240, gross monthly income is $3,020. After federal, FICA, and Idaho state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,539 per month (or $1,172 every two weeks).

Is $36,240 a good salary in Lewiston, ID-WA?

At $36,240, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 50% of the Lewiston, ID-WA median household income ($72,475). It is 25% below the $48,300 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 91.2, so prices here run 8.8% below the U.S. average.