Paducah, KY-IL metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Paducah, KY?

In the Paducah, KY-IL metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $29,280 a year ($14.08 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 1,010 of these jobs there. That is 36% below the $45,860 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $15,970 and $57,810; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Illinois tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $24,402 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Paducah, KY at a glance

Median salary

$29,280$14.08 per hour · $2,440 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$15,970$7.68/hr
25th percentile$16,510$7.94/hr
75th percentile$39,140$18.82/hr
90th percentile$57,810$27.79/hr
Jobs in this metro1,010Location quotient 1.37 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here36% belowAll-jobs median $45,860
Against Illinois6% belowStatewide median $31,200
Against the U.S.17% 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 Paducah, KY after taxes

$29,280
$15,000$60,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$29,280
Net 83%
Fed 5%
IL 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$24,402After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,033Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$939Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.7%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,334 / yr
Illinois state income tax$1,305 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,240 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Paducah, KY, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Paducah, KY-IL metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IL)
10th percentile$7.68/hr$1,331$15,970$14,103
25th percentile$7.94/hr$1,376$16,510$14,534
MedianMedian$14.08/hr$2,440$29,280$24,402
75th percentile$18.82/hr$3,262$39,140$31,836
90th percentile$27.79/hr$4,818$57,810$45,914

Is $29,280 a good salary in Paducah, 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$64,160Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)86.113.9% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household45.6%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 Paducah, KY: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Paducah, KY-IL?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Paducah, KY-IL metro area was $29,280 in May 2025, about $2,440 a month or $14.08 an hour. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $31,200, so the metro pays 6% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Paducah, KY-IL?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Paducah, KY-IL was $14.08 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $7.68 an hour and one in ten earned more than $27.79.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Paducah, KY-IL?

BLS estimated 1,010 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 20.0 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.37 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Paducah, KY-IL?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Paducah, KY-IL run from $15,970 at the 10th percentile to $16,510 at the 25th, $39,140 at the 75th, and $57,810 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Paducah, KY-IL?

On a median gross salary of $29,280, an estimated $24,402 lands in net take-home pay per year ($939 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,878 (an effective rate of 16.7%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Paducah, KY-IL?

On the median annual salary of $29,280, gross monthly income is $2,440. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,033 per month (or $939 every two weeks).

Is $29,280 a good salary in Paducah, KY-IL?

At $29,280, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 45.6% of the Paducah, KY-IL median household income ($64,160). It is 36% below the $45,860 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 86.1, so prices here run 13.9% below the U.S. average.