Syracuse, NY metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Syracuse, NY?

In the Syracuse, NY metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $47,640 a year ($22.90 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 3,430 of these jobs there. That is 10% below the $52,990 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $32,240 and $79,750; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and New York tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $38,483 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Syracuse, NY at a glance

Median salary

$47,640$22.90 per hour · $3,970 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$32,240$15.50/hr
25th percentile$34,150$16.42/hr
75th percentile$63,050$30.31/hr
90th percentile$79,750$38.34/hr
Jobs in this metro3,430Location quotient 0.78 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here10% belowAll-jobs median $52,990
Against New York1% aboveStatewide median $47,020
Against the U.S.35% 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 Syracuse, NY after taxes

$47,640
$15,000$100,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$47,640
Net 81%
Fed 7%
NY 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$38,483After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,207Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,480Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate19.2%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,537 / yr
New York state income tax$1,976 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,644 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Syracuse, NY, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Syracuse, NY metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (NY)
10th percentile$15.50/hr$2,687$32,240$26,940
25th percentile$16.42/hr$2,846$34,150$28,372
MedianMedian$22.90/hr$3,970$47,640$38,483
75th percentile$30.31/hr$5,254$63,050$50,033
90th percentile$38.34/hr$6,646$79,750$61,224

Is $47,640 a good salary in Syracuse, NY?

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$75,492Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)95.74.3% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household63.1%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 Syracuse, NY: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Syracuse, NY?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Syracuse, NY metro area was $47,640 in May 2025, about $3,970 a month or $22.90 an hour. Statewide, the New York median for this job is $47,020, so the metro pays 1% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Syracuse, NY?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Syracuse, NY was $22.90 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $15.50 an hour and one in ten earned more than $38.34.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Syracuse, NY?

BLS estimated 3,430 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 11.4 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.78 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Syracuse, NY?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Syracuse, NY run from $32,240 at the 10th percentile to $34,150 at the 25th, $63,050 at the 75th, and $79,750 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Syracuse, NY?

On a median gross salary of $47,640, an estimated $38,483 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,480 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in New York in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $9,157 (an effective rate of 19.2%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Syracuse, NY?

On the median annual salary of $47,640, gross monthly income is $3,970. After federal, FICA, and New York state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,207 per month (or $1,480 every two weeks).

Is $47,640 a good salary in Syracuse, NY?

At $47,640, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 63.1% of the Syracuse, NY median household income ($75,492). It is 10% below the $52,990 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 95.7, so prices here run 4.3% below the U.S. average.