Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA?

In the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $34,910 a year ($16.79 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 4,530 of these jobs there. That is 34% below the $52,510 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $34,320 and $64,300; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $29,851 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA at a glance

Median salary

$34,910$16.79 per hour · $2,909 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$34,320$16.50/hr
25th percentile$34,470$16.57/hr
75th percentile$36,270$17.44/hr
90th percentile$64,300$30.91/hr
Jobs in this metro4,530Location quotient 0.96 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here34% belowAll-jobs median $52,510
Against California3% belowStatewide median $36,080
Against the U.S.1% 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 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA after taxes

$34,910
$15,000$70,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$34,910
Net 86%
Fed 6%
CA 1%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$29,851After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,488Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,148Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate14.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,009 / yr
California state income tax$379 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,671 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$16.50/hr$2,860$34,320$29,401
25th percentile$16.57/hr$2,873$34,470$29,515
MedianMedian$16.79/hr$2,909$34,910$29,851
75th percentile$17.44/hr$3,023$36,270$30,889
90th percentile$30.91/hr$5,358$64,300$51,926

Is $34,910 a good salary in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA?

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$109,797Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)110.510.5% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household31.8%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 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area was $34,910 in May 2025, about $2,909 a month or $16.79 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $36,080, so the metro pays 3% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA was $16.79 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.50 an hour and one in ten earned more than $30.91.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA?

BLS estimated 4,530 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 14.0 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.96 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 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA run from $34,320 at the 10th percentile to $34,470 at the 25th, $36,270 at the 75th, and $64,300 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA?

On a median gross salary of $34,910, an estimated $29,851 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,148 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,059 (an effective rate of 14.5%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA?

On the median annual salary of $34,910, gross monthly income is $2,909. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,488 per month (or $1,148 every two weeks).

Is $34,910 a good salary in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA?

At $34,910, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 31.8% of the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA median household income ($109,797). It is 34% below the $52,510 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 110.5, so prices here run 10.5% above the U.S. average.