Pay distribution $33,970 10th $35,630 25th $39,040 75th $48,110 90th
Half of Food Servers, Nonrestaurant in the Boston metro area earn more than $37,330 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $35,630 and $39,040.
Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS) Wage 10th 25th Median 75th 90th Annual $33,970 $35,630 $37,330 $39,040 $48,110 Hourly $16.33 $17.13 $17.95 $18.77 $23.13
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares Boston metro areathis metro area
$37,330 median for Boston metro area; middle half earns $35,630 to $39,040
$36,750 median for Massachusetts; middle half earns $35,110 to $38,260
$35,360 median for United States; middle half earns $31,190 to $38,500
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is +2% vs Massachusetts overall and +6% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Where this metro sits nationally $21,660 $35,427 $49,193 $62,960 Manhattan, KS — $21,660 Mayaguez, PR — $21,840 San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR — $21,840 Alexandria, LA — $22,410 Ponce, PR — $23,770 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA — $23,920 College Station-Bryan, TX — $24,120 Wichita, KS — $24,190 Texarkana, TX-AR — $24,770 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA — $25,070 Corpus Christi, TX — $25,470 Lake Charles, LA — $25,590 Monroe, LA — $25,690 Hattiesburg, MS — $25,970 Dothan, AL — $26,000 Hammond, LA — $26,450 Lawrence, KS — $26,550 Logan, UT-ID — $26,650 Topeka, KS — $26,670 Anniston-Oxford, AL — $26,780 Longview, TX — $26,790 Wheeling, WV-OH — $26,890 Fort Smith, AR-OK — $27,040 Johnson City, TN — $27,050 Wichita Falls, TX — $27,080 Baton Rouge, LA — $27,330 Abilene, TX — $27,340 Greenville, NC — $27,370 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $27,490 Clarksville, TN-KY — $27,510 Dalton, GA — $27,570 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA — $27,580 Hot Springs, AR — $27,600 Odessa, TX — $27,730 Jonesboro, AR — $27,740 Sherman-Denison, TX — $27,770 Valdosta, GA — $27,810 Altoona, PA — $27,860 Lafayette, LA — $27,860 Youngstown-Warren, OH — $27,890 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL — $27,910 Jackson, TN — $27,950 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA — $28,140 Columbus, GA-AL — $28,360 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA — $28,430 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX — $28,510 Gettysburg, PA — $28,520 Killeen-Temple, TX — $28,520 Burlington, NC — $28,670 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $28,740 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS — $28,750 Johnstown, PA — $28,760 Rocky Mount, NC — $28,760 Canton-Massillon, OH — $28,790 Montgomery, AL — $28,860 Tyler, TX — $28,920 Jackson, MS — $28,940 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH — $28,960 Amarillo, TX — $29,020 Greensboro-High Point, NC — $29,030 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $29,050 Knoxville, TN — $29,100 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR — $29,200 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT — $29,210 Decatur, AL — $29,220 Waco, TX — $29,220 Oklahoma City, OK — $29,230 Albany, GA — $29,280 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC — $29,280 Iowa City, IA — $29,350 Ogden, UT — $29,360 Springfield, OH — $29,360 Farmington, NM — $29,380 Rome, GA — $29,400 New Orleans-Metairie, LA — $29,460 Florence, SC — $29,470 Sebring, FL — $29,470 Lincoln, NE — $29,480 Homosassa Springs, FL — $29,500 Warner Robins, GA — $29,530 Casper, WY — $29,550 Mobile, AL — $29,560 Owensboro, KY — $29,600 Tuscaloosa, AL — $29,640 Lubbock, TX — $29,660 El Paso, TX — $29,680 Flint, MI — $29,710 Fayetteville, NC — $29,730 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL — $29,750 Tallahassee, FL — $29,770 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI — $29,800 Cedar Rapids, IA — $29,940 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN — $29,990 Toledo, OH — $30,060 Lima, OH — $30,080 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL — $30,090 Jackson, MI — $30,090 Savannah, GA — $30,100 Missoula, MT — $30,120 Huntsville, AL — $30,180 Jefferson City, MO — $30,210 St. Joseph, MO-KS — $30,210 Charleston, WV — $30,330 Cleveland, OH — $30,350 Evansville, IN — $30,360 Birmingham, AL — $30,370 Joplin, MO-KS — $30,370 Lexington-Fayette, KY — $30,430 Tulsa, OK — $30,430 Muncie, IN — $30,510 Billings, MT — $30,550 Macon-Bibb County, GA — $30,570 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC — $30,590 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA — $30,600 Cleveland, TN — $30,640 Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL — $30,650 Lancaster, PA — $30,660 Chattanooga, TN-GA — $30,740 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC — $30,790 Reading, PA — $30,810 Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $31,080 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA — $31,120 Springfield, MO — $31,130 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $31,160 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH — $31,200 Dover, DE — $31,200 Akron, OH — $31,210 Idaho Falls, ID — $31,250 Ocala, FL — $31,280 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD — $31,290 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA — $31,330 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC — $31,370 Columbia, SC — $31,400 Jacksonville, NC — $31,460 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC — $31,670 Rockford, IL — $31,670 Athens-Clarke County, GA — $31,680 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL — $31,710 Harrisonburg, VA — $31,710 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $31,710 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL — $31,730 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN — $31,780 Ames, IA — $31,840 Niles, MI — $31,840 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL — $31,840 St. George, UT — $31,840 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $31,960 Roanoke, VA — $32,010 Tucson, AZ — $32,010 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $32,070 Omaha, NE-IA — $32,150 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $32,170 Columbus, OH — $32,250 Dubuque, IA — $32,270 Erie, PA — $32,300 Columbus, IN — $32,340 Bay City, MI — $32,370 Kankakee, IL — $32,430 Raleigh-Cary, NC — $32,470 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $32,610 Sandusky, OH — $32,710 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $32,770 Columbia, MO — $32,800 Grand Island, NE — $32,820 Kokomo, IN — $32,860 Lebanon, PA — $33,040 Sioux Falls, SD-MN — $33,150 Gainesville, GA — $33,180 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $33,300 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $33,380 Spartanburg, SC — $33,390 Terre Haute, IN — $33,400 York-Hanover, PA — $33,500 Bloomington, IL — $33,540 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV — $33,540 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH — $33,540 State College, PA — $33,540 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $33,550 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL — $33,550 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $33,560 Corvallis, OR — $33,560 Eau Claire, WI — $33,570 Minot, ND — $33,600 Kansas City, MO-KS — $33,620 Fond du Lac, WI — $33,640 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL — $33,670 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ — $33,690 Peoria, IL — $33,700 Decatur, IL — $33,710 Coeur d'Alene, ID — $33,750 Wausau, WI — $33,750 Albany, OR — $33,790 Chambersburg, PA — $33,790 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA — $33,790 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $33,830 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI — $33,860 Cheyenne, WY — $33,960 Charleston-North Charleston, SC — $33,970 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL — $33,970 Port St. Lucie, FL — $33,970 Janesville-Beloit, WI — $34,000 Lynchburg, VA — $34,010 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ — $34,010 Bowling Green, KY — $34,040 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL — $34,060 Yuma, AZ — $34,120 Midland, TX — $34,160 Ann Arbor, MI — $34,170 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY — $34,190 Charlottesville, VA — $34,250 Salisbury, MD — $34,260 Appleton, WI — $34,280 Kenosha, WI — $34,300 Gainesville, FL — $34,310 St. Louis, MO-IL — $34,340 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ — $34,370 Jacksonville, FL — $34,410 Utica-Rome, NY — $34,430 Eugene-Springfield, OR — $34,450 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC — $34,480 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $34,480 Medford, OR — $34,490 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC — $34,500 Boise City, ID — $34,510 St. Cloud, MN — $34,510 Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI — $34,530 Bangor, ME — $34,560 Champaign-Urbana, IL — $34,580 Winston-Salem, NC — $34,620 Elkhart-Goshen, IN — $34,630 Pittsburgh, PA — $34,630 Reno, NV — $34,690 Lansing-East Lansing, MI — $34,700 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $34,710 Salem, OR — $34,720 Grants Pass, OR — $34,730 Green Bay, WI — $34,730 Mankato, MN — $34,760 Waterbury-Shelton, CT — $34,780 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL — $34,800 Springfield, IL — $34,800 Wilmington, NC — $34,810 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA — $34,830 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN — $34,850 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $34,870 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI — $34,880 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $34,900 Mansfield, OH — $34,940 Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA — $34,940 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $34,950 Richmond, VA — $34,960 Springfield, MA — $34,970 Kingston, NY — $34,980 Winchester, VA-WV — $35,000 Pittsfield, MA — $35,020 Asheville, NC — $35,040 Traverse City, MI — $35,070 Albuquerque, NM — $35,160 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $35,170 Fort Wayne, IN — $35,190 Naples-Marco Island, FL — $35,310 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT — $35,520 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ — $35,540 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $35,550 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA — $35,580 El Centro, CA — $35,590 Rochester, MN — $35,630 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $35,670 Visalia, CA — $35,680 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $35,690 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $35,710 Redding, CA — $35,740 Trenton-Princeton, NJ — $35,740 Rochester, NY — $35,780 Worcester, MA — $35,790 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT — $35,850 Sheboygan, WI — $35,850 Duluth, MN-WI — $35,880 New Haven, CT — $35,940 Glens Falls, NY — $36,030 Binghamton, NY — $36,060 Yakima, WA — $36,070 Madison, WI — $36,110 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY — $36,160 Walla Walla, WA — $36,170 Williamsport, PA — $36,170 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA — $36,190 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI — $36,250 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $36,420 Bellingham, WA — $36,450 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA — $36,520 Greeley, CO — $36,570 Lexington Park, MD — $36,650 Urban Honolulu, HI — $36,650 Colorado Springs, CO — $36,690 Battle Creek, MI — $36,710 Fargo, ND-MN — $36,720 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV — $36,720 Fresno, CA — $36,770 Syracuse, NY — $36,770 Pueblo, CO — $36,860 Manchester-Nashua, NH — $36,890 Grand Junction, CO — $36,900 Bismarck, ND — $37,010 Saginaw, MI — $37,030 Barnstable Town, MA — $37,070 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO — $37,080 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $37,120 Bakersfield-Delano, CA — $37,140 Longview-Kelso, WA — $37,140 Portland-South Portland, ME — $37,200 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT — $37,210 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA — $37,230 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $37,230 Grand Forks, ND-MN — $37,280 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $37,330 Stockton-Lodi, CA — $37,380 Chico, CA — $37,400 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $37,480 Great Falls, MT — $37,530 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA — $37,540 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $37,540 Yuba City, CA — $37,660 Bend, OR — $37,790 Kennewick-Richland, WA — $37,860 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA — $37,860 Modesto, CA — $38,010 Lewiston-Auburn, ME — $38,140 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA — $38,150 Flagstaff, AZ — $38,200 Bozeman, MT — $38,210 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $38,260 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $38,350 Vineland, NJ — $38,350 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $38,460 Salinas, CA — $38,660 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA — $38,740 Vallejo, CA — $38,910 Boulder, CO — $38,930 Goldsboro, NC — $38,980 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $39,120 Anchorage, AK — $39,550 Lawton, OK — $39,720 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $39,850 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA — $40,180 Ithaca, NY — $40,240 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $40,640 Burlington-South Burlington, VT — $41,090 Napa, CA — $41,850 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $44,710 Hanford-Corcoran, CA — $45,030 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $46,210 Kahului-Wailuku, HI — $62,960 Boston metro area Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.
The Boston metro area has the 38th-highest published median for this occupation among the 353 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Other metro areas in Massachusetts Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for food servers, nonrestaurant, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
Boston metro areathis page
$37,330 median for Boston metro area; middle half earns $35,630 to $39,040
$37,070 median for Barnstable Town metro area; middle half earns $36,770 to $41,070
$35,790 median for Worcester metro area; middle half earns $34,880 to $37,140
$35,020 median for Pittsfield metro area; middle half earns $34,020 to $36,140
$34,970 median for Springfield metro area; middle half earns $34,210 to $35,630
$34,830 median for Amherst Town metro area; middle half earns $33,670 to $35,860
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Fast Food and Counter Workers $36,290 Waiters and Waitresses $39,270 Cooks, Restaurant $45,830 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $47,090 Bartenders $37,760 Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop $35,140 Highest-paying metro areas for food servers, nonrestaurants · Highest-paying occupations in Boston Metro
About this estimate These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology .