Lima, OH metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Lima, OH?

In the Lima, OH metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $36,720 a year ($17.65 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 680 of these jobs there. That is 22% below the $47,170 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $23,610 and $62,550; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Ohio tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $31,125 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Lima, OH at a glance

Median salary

$36,720$17.65 per hour · $3,060 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$23,610$11.35/hr
25th percentile$28,570$13.74/hr
75th percentile$48,220$23.19/hr
90th percentile$62,550$30.07/hr
Jobs in this metro680Location quotient 0.93 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here22% belowAll-jobs median $47,170
Against Ohioabout the same asStatewide median $36,700
Against the U.S.4% aboveNational median $35,230

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Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Waiter or waitress salary in Lima, OH after taxes

$36,720
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$36,720
Net 85%
Fed 6%
OH 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$31,125After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,594Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,197Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate15.2%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,226 / yr
Ohio state income tax$559 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,809 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Lima, OH, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Lima, OH metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (OH)
10th percentile$11.35/hr$1,968$23,610$21,053
25th percentile$13.74/hr$2,381$28,570$24,801
MedianMedian$17.65/hr$3,060$36,720$31,125
75th percentile$23.19/hr$4,018$48,220$40,042
90th percentile$30.07/hr$5,213$62,550$51,162

Is $36,720 a good salary in Lima, OH?

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$64,038Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)89.710.3% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household57.3%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 Lima, OH: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Lima, OH?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Lima, OH metro area was $36,720 in May 2025, about $3,060 a month or $17.65 an hour. Statewide, the Ohio median for this job is $36,700, so the metro pays about the same as the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Lima, OH?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Lima, OH was $17.65 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $11.35 an hour and one in ten earned more than $30.07.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Lima, OH?

BLS estimated 680 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 13.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.93 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Lima, OH?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Lima, OH run from $23,610 at the 10th percentile to $28,570 at the 25th, $48,220 at the 75th, and $62,550 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Lima, OH?

On a median gross salary of $36,720, an estimated $31,125 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,197 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Ohio in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,595 (an effective rate of 15.2%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Lima, OH?

On the median annual salary of $36,720, gross monthly income is $3,060. After federal, FICA, and Ohio state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,594 per month (or $1,197 every two weeks).

Is $36,720 a good salary in Lima, OH?

At $36,720, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 57.3% of the Lima, OH median household income ($64,038). It is 22% below the $47,170 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 89.7, so prices here run 10.3% below the U.S. average.