Wichita, KS metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Wichita, KS?

In the Wichita, KS metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $37,300 a year ($17.93 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 4,570 of these jobs there. That is 22% below the $47,630 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $17,300 and $63,560; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Kansas tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $30,869 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Wichita, KS at a glance

Median salary

$37,300$17.93 per hour · $3,108 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$17,300$8.32/hr
25th percentile$29,380$14.12/hr
75th percentile$49,460$23.78/hr
90th percentile$63,560$30.56/hr
Jobs in this metro4,570Location quotient 1.01 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here22% belowAll-jobs median $47,630
Against Kansas3% aboveStatewide median $36,120
Against the U.S.6% aboveNational 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 Wichita, KS after taxes

$37,300
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$37,300
Net 83%
Fed 6%
KS 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$30,869After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,572Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,187Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate17.2%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,296 / yr
Kansas state income tax$1,282 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,853 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Wichita, KS, hourly and yearly

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

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Wichita, KS metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (KS)
10th percentile$8.32/hr$1,442$17,300$15,621
25th percentile$14.12/hr$2,448$29,380$24,923
MedianMedian$17.93/hr$3,108$37,300$30,869
75th percentile$23.78/hr$4,122$49,460$39,961
90th percentile$30.56/hr$5,297$63,560$50,504

Is $37,300 a good salary in Wichita, KS?

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$70,655Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)88.911.1% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household52.8%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 Wichita, KS: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Wichita, KS?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Wichita, KS metro area was $37,300 in May 2025, about $3,108 a month or $17.93 an hour. Statewide, the Kansas median for this job is $36,120, so the metro pays 3% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Wichita, KS?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Wichita, KS was $17.93 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $8.32 an hour and one in ten earned more than $30.56.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Wichita, KS?

BLS estimated 4,570 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 14.8 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.01 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Wichita, KS?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Wichita, KS run from $17,300 at the 10th percentile to $29,380 at the 25th, $49,460 at the 75th, and $63,560 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Wichita, KS?

On a median gross salary of $37,300, an estimated $30,869 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,187 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Kansas in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,431 (an effective rate of 17.2%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Wichita, KS?

On the median annual salary of $37,300, gross monthly income is $3,108. After federal, FICA, and Kansas state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,572 per month (or $1,187 every two weeks).

Is $37,300 a good salary in Wichita, KS?

At $37,300, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 52.8% of the Wichita, KS median household income ($70,655). It is 22% below the $47,630 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 88.9, so prices here run 11.1% below the U.S. average.