Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of server and hostess salary by state for the United States:
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New York has the highest server and hostess salary of $37,082
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Oklahoma has the lowest server and hostess salary of $18,830
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The national average salary for server and hostesses is $28,020
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The national hourly pay for server and hostesses is $13.47
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Without fail, in surveys across basically every demographic, the number one most important aspect of a job for most people is the salary — how much do server and hostesses get paid where I live?
And while there are many things to go into how much you, specifically, can expect to make, there’s really good data for average salaries for server and hostess by state across America broken down by seniority level. So while your city may be slightly different than the state average, these averages give you a rough sense of what to expect for your salary.
The state with the best salary for server and hostesses after this adjustment? That would be New York.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for server and hostess salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Server And Hostesses By State
| Rank | State | Average Server And Hostess Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $37,082 | $27,000 | $49,000 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $34,782 | $26,000 | $45,000 |
| 3 | Vermont | $34,429 | $26,000 | $44,000 |
| 4 | California | $31,972 | $22,000 | $45,000 |
| 5 | Washington | $31,828 | $22,000 | $44,000 |
| 6 | Arizona | $30,418 | $21,000 | $43,000 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $30,073 | $22,000 | $39,000 |
| 8 | Maine | $30,057 | $23,000 | $38,000 |
| 9 | Oregon | $29,928 | $21,000 | $41,000 |
| 10 | Maryland | $29,065 | $21,000 | $39,000 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $28,570 | $21,000 | $37,000 |
| 12 | Delaware | $28,347 | $20,000 | $38,000 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $28,290 | $20,000 | $39,000 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $27,865 | $20,000 | $37,000 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $27,633 | $19,000 | $38,000 |
| 16 | Colorado | $27,600 | $19,000 | $39,000 |
| 17 | Hawaii | $27,568 | $20,000 | $37,000 |
| 18 | Michigan | $27,531 | $19,000 | $38,000 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $27,290 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $27,047 | $19,000 | $36,000 |
| 21 | Illinois | $24,968 | $17,000 | $34,000 |
| 22 | Virginia | $24,932 | $18,000 | $34,000 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $24,860 | $17,000 | $34,000 |
| 24 | Texas | $24,266 | $17,000 | $34,000 |
| 25 | Alaska | $23,721 | $17,000 | $31,000 |
| 26 | Iowa | $23,441 | $16,000 | $32,000 |
| 27 | Ohio | $23,410 | $16,000 | $32,000 |
| 28 | Nevada | $23,386 | $16,000 | $33,000 |
| 29 | Idaho | $23,287 | $16,000 | $32,000 |
| 30 | Arkansas | $23,044 | $16,000 | $32,000 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $23,039 | $16,000 | $32,000 |
| 32 | Kansas | $22,893 | $16,000 | $32,000 |
| 33 | Utah | $22,852 | $16,000 | $32,000 |
| 34 | Indiana | $22,751 | $16,000 | $31,000 |
| 35 | Missouri | $22,607 | $16,000 | $31,000 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $22,295 | $15,000 | $31,000 |
| 37 | Georgia | $22,035 | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $21,907 | $15,000 | $31,000 |
| 39 | Florida | $21,878 | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $21,811 | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $21,593 | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $21,339 | $15,000 | $29,000 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $21,311 | $15,000 | $29,000 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $20,984 | $14,000 | $29,000 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $20,968 | $15,000 | $28,000 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $20,915 | $14,000 | $29,000 |
| 47 | Alabama | $20,853 | $14,000 | $29,000 |
| 48 | Montana | $20,041 | $14,000 | $27,000 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $19,974 | $14,000 | $28,000 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $18,830 | $13,000 | $26,000 |
Methodology: Server And Hostess Salary By State
To better understand server and hostess pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across a multitude of channels including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We then supplement that data with actual listed salaries from job posts. Finally, the data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for server and hostesses by state.
We took the average annual salary data for server and hostesses from these estimates and ranked every state on this criteria with the state with the highest salary ranking as highest average salary for server and hostesses.
Server And Hostess Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for server and hostesses?
The highest-paid state for server and hostesses is New York with an average salary of $37,082 per year.
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What city pays server and hostesses the most?
Binghamton, NY pays server and hostesses the most with an average salary of $37,097 per year.
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What is the worst state for server and hostesses?
The worst state for server and hostesses is Oklahoma with an average salary of $18,830 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
