New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in New York-Newark, NY?

In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $47,610 a year ($22.89 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 138,720 of these jobs there. That is 22% below the $61,430 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $33,810 and $95,610; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and New Jersey tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $39,352 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in New York-Newark, NY at a glance

Median salary

$47,610$22.89 per hour · $3,968 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$33,810$16.26/hr
25th percentile$35,310$16.98/hr
75th percentile$64,480$31.00/hr
90th percentile$95,610$45.97/hr
Jobs in this metro138,720Location quotient 1.00 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here22% belowAll-jobs median $61,430
Against New Jersey6% aboveStatewide median $44,960
Against the U.S.35% aboveNational 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 New York-Newark, NY after taxes

$47,610
$15,000$100,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$47,610
Net 83%
Fed 7%
NJ 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$39,352After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,279Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,514Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate17.4%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,533 / yr
New Jersey state income tax$1,083 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,642 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in New York-Newark, NY, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (NJ)
10th percentile$16.26/hr$2,818$33,810$28,842
25th percentile$16.98/hr$2,943$35,310$30,021
MedianMedian$22.89/hr$3,968$47,610$39,352
75th percentile$31.00/hr$5,373$64,480$51,975
90th percentile$45.97/hr$7,968$95,610$72,191

Is $47,610 a good salary in New York-Newark, NY?

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$99,155Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)112.612.6% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household48%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 New York-Newark, NY: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area was $47,610 in May 2025, about $3,968 a month or $22.89 an hour. Statewide, the New Jersey median for this job is $44,960, so the metro pays 6% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ was $22.89 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.26 an hour and one in ten earned more than $45.97.

How many waiters or waitresses work in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?

BLS estimated 138,720 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 14.6 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.00 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ run from $33,810 at the 10th percentile to $35,310 at the 25th, $64,480 at the 75th, and $95,610 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?

On a median gross salary of $47,610, an estimated $39,352 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,514 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in New Jersey in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $8,258 (an effective rate of 17.3%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?

On the median annual salary of $47,610, gross monthly income is $3,968. After federal, FICA, and New Jersey state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,279 per month (or $1,514 every two weeks).

Is $47,610 a good salary in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?

At $47,610, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 48% of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median household income ($99,155). It is 22% below the $61,430 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 112.6, so prices here run 12.6% above the U.S. average.