Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Riverside-San Bernardino, CA?

In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $34,800 a year ($16.73 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 20,810 of these jobs there. That is 28% below the $48,400 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $34,320 and $77,810; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $29,767 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Riverside-San Bernardino, CA at a glance

Median salary

$34,800$16.73 per hour · $2,900 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$34,320$16.50/hr
25th percentile$34,320$16.50/hr
75th percentile$45,590$21.92/hr
90th percentile$77,810$37.41/hr
Jobs in this metro20,810Location quotient 0.83 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here28% belowAll-jobs median $48,400
Against California4% belowStatewide median $36,080
Against the U.S.1% 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 Riverside-San Bernardino, CA after taxes

$34,800
$15,000$70,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$34,800
Net 86%
Fed 6%
CA 1%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$29,767After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,481Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,145Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate14.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,996 / yr
California state income tax$375 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,662 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Riverside-San Bernardino, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$16.50/hr$2,860$34,320$29,401
25th percentile$16.50/hr$2,860$34,320$29,401
MedianMedian$16.73/hr$2,900$34,800$29,767
75th percentile$21.92/hr$3,799$45,590$38,005
90th percentile$37.41/hr$6,484$77,810$60,570

Is $34,800 a good salary in Riverside-San Bernardino, 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$89,662Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)106.46.4% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household38.8%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 Riverside-San Bernardino, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area was $34,800 in May 2025, about $2,900 a month or $16.73 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $36,080, so the metro pays 4% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA was $16.73 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.50 an hour and one in ten earned more than $37.41.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?

BLS estimated 20,810 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 12.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.83 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA run from $34,320 at the 10th percentile to $34,320 at the 25th, $45,590 at the 75th, and $77,810 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?

On a median gross salary of $34,800, an estimated $29,767 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,145 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,033 (an effective rate of 14.5%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?

On the median annual salary of $34,800, gross monthly income is $2,900. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,481 per month (or $1,145 every two weeks).

Is $34,800 a good salary in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?

At $34,800, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 38.8% of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median household income ($89,662). It is 28% below the $48,400 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 106.4, so prices here run 6.4% above the U.S. average.