Waiter or waitress pay in Rapid City, SD at a glance
Median salary
$29,020$13.95 per hour · $2,418 monthly · BLS May 2025Run 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 Rapid City, SD after taxes
Waiters or waitresses pay range in Rapid City, SD, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the Rapid City, SD metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.
| Percentile | Hourly | Monthly | Yearly | After tax a year (SD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $13.24/hr | $2,294 | $27,530 | $24,281 |
| 25th percentile | $13.61/hr | $2,359 | $28,310 | $24,923 |
| MedianMedian | $13.95/hr | $2,418 | $29,020 | $25,498 |
| 75th percentile | $15.94/hr | $2,763 | $33,160 | $28,824 |
| 90th percentile | $19.54/hr | $3,387 | $40,640 | $34,834 |
Is $29,020 a good salary in Rapid City, SD?
It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for waiters or waitresses next to both.
Waiters or waitresses pay in South Dakota and across the U.S.
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.
Waiter or waitress pay in Rapid City, SD: common questions
What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Rapid City, SD?
The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Rapid City, SD metro area was $29,020 in May 2025, about $2,418 a month or $13.95 an hour. Statewide, the South Dakota median for this job is $28,990, so the metro pays about the same as the state.
What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Rapid City, SD?
The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Rapid City, SD was $13.95 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $13.24 an hour and one in ten earned more than $19.54.
How many waiters or waitresses work in Rapid City, SD?
BLS estimated 1,430 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 19.3 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.32 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.
What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Rapid City, SD?
BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Rapid City, SD run from $27,530 at the 10th percentile to $28,310 at the 25th, $33,160 at the 75th, and $40,640 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Rapid City, SD?
On a median gross salary of $29,020, an estimated $25,498 lands in net take-home pay per year ($981 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in South Dakota in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $3,522 (an effective rate of 12.1%).
How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Rapid City, SD?
On the median annual salary of $29,020, gross monthly income is $2,418. After federal, FICA, and South Dakota state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,125 per month (or $981 every two weeks).
Is $29,020 a good salary in Rapid City, SD?
At $29,020, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 38.6% of the Rapid City, SD median household income ($75,255). It is 37% below the $46,270 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 89.2, so prices here run 10.8% below the U.S. average.