Food Preparation
Waiters & Waitresses
SOC 35-3031
Take orders, serve food, and keep tables happy, mostly on tips.
The job
Median pay
$35k
$28k to $47k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+2.0% projected
Openings a year
423k
BLS projection
Typical education
No formal credential
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
9/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
8th pct
More exposed than 8% of occupations · modeled estimate · 83rd pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
45/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 229,970 | 12.6 | 0.9× | $36k |
| Florida | 207,180 | 20.9 | 1.4× | $36k |
| Texas | 199,610 | 14.2 | 1.0× | $23k |
| New York | 142,940 | 14.8 | 1.0× | $47k |
| Pennsylvania | 82,300 | 13.6 | 0.9× | $35k |
| Ohio | 77,250 | 13.9 | 0.9× | $37k |
| Georgia | 76,470 | 15.6 | 1.1× | $19k |
| Illinois | 72,900 | 12.0 | 0.8× | $31k |
| North Carolina | 71,940 | 14.6 | 1.0× | $32k |
| Michigan | 65,090 | 14.8 | 1.0× | $38k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 59,370 | 14.4 | 1.0× | $45k |
| Arizona | 55,950 | 17.3 | 1.2× | $44k |
| New Jersey | 55,800 | 13.0 | 0.9× | $45k |
| Massachusetts | 54,670 | 15.0 | 1.0× | $38k |
| Tennessee | 52,120 | 15.9 | 1.1× | $28k |
| South Carolina | 47,200 | 20.5 | 1.4× | $18k |
| Washington | 45,400 | 12.8 | 0.9× | $56k |
| Indiana | 43,620 | 13.6 | 0.9× | $28k |
| Nevada | 42,520 | 27.4 | 1.9× | $26k |
| Missouri | 41,640 | 14.2 | 1.0× | $29k |
| Colorado | 40,680 | 14.2 | 1.0× | $45k |
| Maryland | 38,120 | 13.8 | 0.9× | $37k |
| Minnesota | 37,630 | 12.8 | 0.9× | $25k |
| Wisconsin | 36,220 | 12.3 | 0.8× | $30k |
| Louisiana | 33,870 | 17.5 | 1.2× | $15k |
| Alabama | 28,760 | 13.6 | 0.9× | $27k |
| Kentucky | 27,150 | 13.6 | 0.9× | $30k |
| Oklahoma | 27,000 | 15.8 | 1.1× | $18k |
| Oregon | 23,040 | 11.7 | 0.8× | $48k |
| Iowa | 22,410 | 14.4 | 1.0× | $21k |
| Connecticut | 22,370 | 13.2 | 0.9× | $38k |
| Kansas | 19,480 | 13.6 | 0.9× | $36k |
| Arkansas | 17,880 | 13.7 | 0.9× | $25k |
| Utah | 17,790 | 10.3 | 0.7× | $31k |
| Mississippi | 15,190 | 13.1 | 0.9× | $21k |
| Hawaii | 14,090 | 22.5 | 1.5× | $62k |
| Nebraska | 13,310 | 13.0 | 0.9× | $34k |
| New Mexico | 12,740 | 14.6 | 1.0× | $37k |
| Washington DC | 11,530 | 16.4 | 1.1× | $48k |
| Idaho | 10,950 | 12.8 | 0.9× | $30k |
| Rhode Island | 10,160 | 20.3 | 1.4× | $35k |
| New Hampshire | 10,030 | 14.7 | 1.0× | $38k |
| Maine | 9,090 | 14.2 | 1.0× | $43k |
| West Virginia | 8,600 | 12.3 | 0.8× | $35k |
| Delaware | 7,580 | 15.6 | 1.1× | $37k |
| South Dakota | 7,350 | 16.1 | 1.1× | $29k |
| Montana | 7,200 | 14.1 | 1.0× | $23k |
| North Dakota | 5,250 | 12.2 | 0.8× | $31k |
| Vermont | 4,040 | 13.3 | 0.9× | $59k |
| Alaska | 3,830 | 11.8 | 0.8× | $26k |
| Wyoming | 3,620 | 12.9 | 0.9× | $24k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ138,720 jobs · $48k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA85,210 jobs · $36k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL57,830 jobs · $36k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN54,100 jobs · $31k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX53,460 jobs · $24k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX51,330 jobs · $22k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV46,160 jobs · $46k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA45,880 jobs · $18k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Waiters & Waitresses interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.