Waiters and Waitresses · SOC 35-3031
Waiters and Waitresses Salary in the Montana
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Montana
Figures describe the state of Montana as a whole.
Waiters and Waitresses in the Montana earned a median of $23,370 per year ($11.23 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $21,940 at the 10th percentile to $45,420 at the 90th. BLS estimates 7,200 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Waiters and Waitresses in the Montana earn more than $23,370 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $22,290 and $28,960.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $21,940 | $22,290 | $23,370 | $28,960 | $45,420 |
| Hourly | $10.55 | $10.72 | $11.23 | $13.92 | $21.84 |
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
- Montana$23,370 median for Montana; middle half earns $22,290 to $28,960
- United Statesnational$35,230 median for United States; middle half earns $27,750 to $47,110
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is −34% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Metro areas in Montana
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for waiters and waitresses, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Montanathis page$23,370 median for Montana; middle half earns $22,290 to $28,960
- $26,380 median for Bozeman metro area; middle half earns $23,990 to $34,080
- $23,210 median for Missoula metro area; middle half earns $22,150 to $28,660
- $23,020 median for Helena metro area; middle half earns $22,140 to $28,120
- $22,940 median for Billings metro area; middle half earns $22,480 to $28,920
- $22,270 median for Great Falls metro area; middle half earns $21,940 to $28,770
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:
Highest-paying metro areas for waiters and waitressess · Highest-paying occupations in Montana
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.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.