St. Cloud, MN metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in St. Cloud, MN?

In the St. Cloud, MN metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $23,520 a year ($11.31 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 1,070 of these jobs there. That is 54% below the $50,840 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $23,150 and $38,630; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Minnesota tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $20,539 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in St. Cloud, MN at a glance

Median salary

$23,520$11.31 per hour · $1,960 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$23,150$11.13/hr
25th percentile$23,150$11.13/hr
75th percentile$28,140$13.53/hr
90th percentile$38,630$18.57/hr
Jobs in this metro1,070Location quotient 0.70 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here54% belowAll-jobs median $50,840
Against Minnesota8% belowStatewide median $25,470
Against the U.S.33% 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 St. Cloud, MN after taxes

$23,520
$15,000$50,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$23,520
Net 87%
Fed 3%
MN 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$20,539After all taxes
Monthly deposit$1,712Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$790Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate12.7%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$742 / yr
Minnesota state income tax$440 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$1,799 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in St. Cloud, MN, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the St. Cloud, MN metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the St. Cloud, MN metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (MN)
10th percentile$11.13/hr$1,929$23,150$20,254
25th percentile$11.13/hr$1,929$23,150$20,254
MedianMedian$11.31/hr$1,960$23,520$20,539
75th percentile$13.53/hr$2,345$28,140$24,096
90th percentile$18.57/hr$3,219$38,630$31,971

Is $23,520 a good salary in St. Cloud, MN?

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$76,497Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)87.612.4% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household30.7%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 St. Cloud, MN: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in St. Cloud, MN?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the St. Cloud, MN metro area was $23,520 in May 2025, about $1,960 a month or $11.31 an hour. Statewide, the Minnesota median for this job is $25,470, so the metro pays 8% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in St. Cloud, MN?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in St. Cloud, MN was $11.31 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $11.13 an hour and one in ten earned more than $18.57.

How many waiters or waitresses work in St. Cloud, MN?

BLS estimated 1,070 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 10.3 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.70 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in St. Cloud, MN?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in St. Cloud, MN run from $23,150 at the 10th percentile to $23,150 at the 25th, $28,140 at the 75th, and $38,630 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in St. Cloud, MN?

On a median gross salary of $23,520, an estimated $20,539 lands in net take-home pay per year ($790 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Minnesota in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $2,981 (an effective rate of 12.7%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in St. Cloud, MN?

On the median annual salary of $23,520, gross monthly income is $1,960. After federal, FICA, and Minnesota state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $1,712 per month (or $790 every two weeks).

Is $23,520 a good salary in St. Cloud, MN?

At $23,520, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 30.7% of the St. Cloud, MN median household income ($76,497). It is 54% below the $50,840 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 87.6, so prices here run 12.4% below the U.S. average.