Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Portland-Vancouver, OR?

In the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $54,780 a year ($26.34 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 13,910 of these jobs there. That is 10% below the $60,690 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $33,980 and $81,630; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Oregon tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $42,601 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Portland-Vancouver, OR at a glance

Median salary

$54,780$26.34 per hour · $4,565 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$33,980$16.34/hr
25th percentile$37,150$17.86/hr
75th percentile$72,170$34.70/hr
90th percentile$81,630$39.25/hr
Jobs in this metro13,910Location quotient 0.79 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here10% belowAll-jobs median $60,690
Against Oregon13% aboveStatewide median $48,410
Against the U.S.55% 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 Portland-Vancouver, OR after taxes

$54,780
$20,000$110,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$54,780
Net 78%
Fed 8%
OR 7%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$42,601After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,550Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,639Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate22.2%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$4,394 / yr
Oregon state income tax$3,595 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$4,191 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Portland-Vancouver, OR, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (OR)
10th percentile$16.34/hr$2,832$33,980$27,490
25th percentile$17.86/hr$3,096$37,150$29,793
MedianMedian$26.34/hr$4,565$54,780$42,601
75th percentile$34.70/hr$6,014$72,170$54,717
90th percentile$39.25/hr$6,803$81,630$60,672

Is $54,780 a good salary in Portland-Vancouver, OR?

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$97,436Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)105.45.4% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household56.2%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 Portland-Vancouver, OR: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area was $54,780 in May 2025, about $4,565 a month or $26.34 an hour. Statewide, the Oregon median for this job is $48,410, so the metro pays 13% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA was $26.34 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.34 an hour and one in ten earned more than $39.25.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?

BLS estimated 13,910 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 11.5 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.79 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA run from $33,980 at the 10th percentile to $37,150 at the 25th, $72,170 at the 75th, and $81,630 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?

On a median gross salary of $54,780, an estimated $42,601 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,639 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Oregon in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $12,179 (an effective rate of 22.2%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?

On the median annual salary of $54,780, gross monthly income is $4,565. After federal, FICA, and Oregon state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,550 per month (or $1,639 every two weeks).

Is $54,780 a good salary in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?

At $54,780, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 56.2% of the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA median household income ($97,436). It is 10% below the $60,690 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 105.4, so prices here run 5.4% above the U.S. average.