Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN?

In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $25,920 a year ($12.46 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 25,620 of these jobs there. That is 56% below the $59,320 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $23,260 and $43,280; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Minnesota tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $22,387 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN at a glance

Median salary

$25,920$12.46 per hour · $2,160 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$23,260$11.18/hr
25th percentile$23,650$11.37/hr
75th percentile$33,120$15.92/hr
90th percentile$43,280$20.81/hr
Jobs in this metro25,620Location quotient 0.90 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here56% belowAll-jobs median $59,320
Against Minnesota2% aboveStatewide median $25,470
Against the U.S.26% 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN after taxes

$25,920
$15,000$55,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$25,920
Net 86%
Fed 4%
MN 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$22,387After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,866Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$861Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate13.6%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$982 / yr
Minnesota state income tax$568 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$1,983 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (MN)
10th percentile$11.18/hr$1,938$23,260$20,339
25th percentile$11.37/hr$1,971$23,650$20,639
MedianMedian$12.46/hr$2,160$25,920$22,387
75th percentile$15.92/hr$2,760$33,120$27,839
90th percentile$20.81/hr$3,607$43,280$35,459

Is $25,920 a good salary in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN?

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$99,833Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)104.84.8% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household26%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 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area was $25,920 in May 2025, about $2,160 a month or $12.46 an hour. Statewide, the Minnesota median for this job is $25,470, so the metro pays 2% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI was $12.46 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $11.18 an hour and one in ten earned more than $20.81.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

BLS estimated 25,620 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 13.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.90 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI run from $23,260 at the 10th percentile to $23,650 at the 25th, $33,120 at the 75th, and $43,280 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

On a median gross salary of $25,920, an estimated $22,387 lands in net take-home pay per year ($861 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Minnesota in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $3,533 (an effective rate of 13.6%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

On the median annual salary of $25,920, gross monthly income is $2,160. After federal, FICA, and Minnesota state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,866 per month (or $861 every two weeks).

Is $25,920 a good salary in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

At $25,920, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 26% of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI median household income ($99,833). It is 56% below the $59,320 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 104.8, so prices here run 4.8% above the U.S. average.