Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY?

In the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $30,180 a year ($14.51 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 10,220 of these jobs there. That is 38% below the $48,370 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $17,070 and $63,500; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Indiana tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $25,569 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY at a glance

Median salary

$30,180$14.51 per hour · $2,515 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$17,070$8.21/hr
25th percentile$20,970$10.08/hr
75th percentile$46,040$22.13/hr
90th percentile$63,500$30.53/hr
Jobs in this metro10,220Location quotient 1.02 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here38% belowAll-jobs median $48,370
Against Indiana6% aboveStatewide median $28,480
Against the U.S.14% belowNational 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY after taxes

$30,180
$15,000$65,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$30,180
Net 85%
Fed 5%
IN 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$25,569After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,131Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$983Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate15.3%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,442 / yr
Indiana state income tax$861 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,309 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IN)
10th percentile$8.21/hr$1,423$17,070$15,193
25th percentile$10.08/hr$1,748$20,970$18,290
MedianMedian$14.51/hr$2,515$30,180$25,569
75th percentile$22.13/hr$3,837$46,040$37,844
90th percentile$30.53/hr$5,292$63,500$51,359

Is $30,180 a good salary in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY?

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$73,863Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)93.16.9% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household40.9%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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area was $30,180 in May 2025, about $2,515 a month or $14.51 an hour. Statewide, the Indiana median for this job is $28,480, so the metro pays 6% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN was $14.51 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $8.21 an hour and one in ten earned more than $30.53.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

BLS estimated 10,220 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 14.9 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.02 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN run from $17,070 at the 10th percentile to $20,970 at the 25th, $46,040 at the 75th, and $63,500 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

On a median gross salary of $30,180, an estimated $25,569 lands in net take-home pay per year ($983 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Indiana in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,611 (an effective rate of 15.3%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

On the median annual salary of $30,180, gross monthly income is $2,515. After federal, FICA, and Indiana state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,131 per month (or $983 every two weeks).

Is $30,180 a good salary in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

At $30,180, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 40.9% of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN median household income ($73,863). It is 38% below the $48,370 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 93.1, so prices here run 6.9% below the U.S. average.