Server Salary
Average Server Salary
$12.91 hourlyTo create our salary estimates, Zippia starts with data published in publicly available sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (FLC) Show More
How much does a Server make?
Servers make $26,857 per year on average, or $12.91 per hour, in the United States. Servers on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $19,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $37,000.
Location impacts how much a server can expect to make. Servers make the most in Hawaii, New York, California, Washington, and Massachusetts.
Highest Paying States For Servers
The darker areas on the map show where servers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
- State View
- County View
Server average salary by State
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $31,058 | $14.93 | 1,428 |
| 2 | West Virginia | $30,173 | $14.51 | 314 |
| 3 | New York | $34,576 | $16.62 | 1,915 |
| 4 | Michigan | $27,242 | $13.10 | 1,693 |
| 5 | California | $33,818 | $16.26 | 4,264 |
| 6 | Washington | $32,205 | $15.48 | 897 |
| 7 | Nevada | $25,426 | $12.22 | 649 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $32,011 | $15.39 | 1,023 |
| 9 | Oregon | $31,135 | $14.97 | 523 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $37,593 | $18.07 | 87 |
| 11 | Colorado | $26,863 | $12.91 | 1,304 |
| 12 | Ohio | $23,774 | $11.43 | 2,477 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $27,687 | $13.31 | 1,134 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $28,774 | $13.83 | 1,330 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $33,852 | $16.27 | 129 |
| 16 | Vermont | $29,641 | $14.25 | 73 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $25,533 | $12.28 | 2,226 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $27,668 | $13.30 | 151 |
| 19 | Maine | $27,471 | $13.21 | 166 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $25,420 | $12.22 | 317 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $27,593 | $13.27 | 456 |
| 22 | Virginia | $25,940 | $12.47 | 1,685 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $25,351 | $12.19 | 342 |
| 24 | Maryland | $26,457 | $12.72 | 1,166 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $22,511 | $10.82 | 928 |
| 26 | Missouri | $23,688 | $11.39 | 1,220 |
| 27 | Texas | $22,425 | $10.78 | 5,381 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $21,980 | $10.57 | 1,407 |
| 29 | Kansas | $22,463 | $10.80 | 593 |
| 30 | Indiana | $22,315 | $10.73 | 1,411 |
| 31 | Illinois | $24,114 | $11.59 | 2,135 |
| 32 | Utah | $22,400 | $10.77 | 644 |
| 33 | Florida | $22,252 | $10.70 | 4,993 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $21,523 | $10.35 | 125 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $23,508 | $11.30 | 78 |
| 36 | Delaware | $23,902 | $11.49 | 182 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $21,924 | $10.54 | 377 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $22,407 | $10.77 | 271 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $20,778 | $9.99 | 668 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $21,382 | $10.28 | 1,889 |
| 41 | Alaska | $24,393 | $11.73 | 44 |
| 42 | Georgia | $21,864 | $10.51 | 1,963 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $20,557 | $9.88 | 1,065 |
| 44 | Iowa | $21,091 | $10.14 | 591 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $20,148 | $9.69 | 990 |
| 46 | Idaho | $21,301 | $10.24 | 275 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $20,076 | $9.65 | 620 |
| 48 | Montana | $18,805 | $9.04 | 207 |
| 49 | Alabama | $19,908 | $9.57 | 773 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $20,766 | $9.98 | 65 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $19,536 | $9.39 | 273 |
Highest Paying Cities For Servers
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $34,565 | $16.62 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $33,827 | $16.26 |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | $33,432 | $16.07 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $32,802 | $15.77 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $31,995 | $15.38 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $31,151 | $14.98 |
| 7 | Portland, OR | $30,630 | $14.73 |
| 8 | Portland, ME | $27,548 | $13.24 |
| 9 | Colorado Springs, CO | $27,430 | $13.19 |
| 10 | Austin, MN | $27,270 | $13.11 |
| 11 | Arlington, VA | $26,816 | $12.89 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | $25,510 | $12.26 |
| 13 | Las Vegas, NV | $25,284 | $12.16 |
| 14 | Jacksonville, AR | $25,254 | $12.14 |
| 15 | Washington, UT | $24,819 | $11.93 |
Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:
Server Salary Details
What is a Server's Salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $37,000 | $3,083 | $18 |
| 75th Percentile | $31,000 | $2,583 | $15 |
| Average | $26,857 | $2,238 | $13 |
| 25th Percentile | $22,000 | $1,833 | $11 |
| 10th Percentile | $19,000 | $1,583 | $9 |
Average Salary By Related Titles
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waitress | $22,128 | $1,844 | $10.64 | 87,315 |
| Hostess | $24,341 | $2,028 | $11.70 | 82,629 |
| Food Runner | $23,029 | $1,919 | $11.07 | 240,853 |
| Room Service Server | $24,256 | $2,021 | $11.66 | 144,551 |
| Server And Hostess | $25,933 | $2,161 | $12.47 | 97,109 |
| Fine Dining Server | $33,099 | $2,758 | $15.91 | 77,549 |
Here are the five companies hiring the most now:
Which Companies Pay Servers The Most?
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IBM | $45,666 | $21.95 | |
| 2 | Latham & Watkins | $44,533 | $21.41 | 2 |
| 3 | Intel | $42,552 | $20.46 | 10 |
| 4 | Amd | $37,657 | $18.10 | 6 |
| 5 | UC Santa Barbara | $37,141 | $17.86 | |
| 6 | AHMC Healthcare | $36,669 | $17.63 | 4 |
| 7 | Cadence Design Systems | $34,965 | $16.81 | 2 |
| 8 | Lawrence General Hospital | $33,191 | $15.96 | 8 |
| 9 | Weber Grills | $33,052 | $15.89 | 4 |
| 10 | The Club at Quail Ridge | $32,381 | $15.57 | 6 |
| 11 | National Audubon Society | $32,288 | $15.52 | 2 |
| 12 | Pacific Office Automation | $31,980 | $15.38 | 2 |
| 13 | Cheyenne Mountain Resort | $31,769 | $15.27 | |
| 14 | Kohler Co. | $31,730 | $15.25 | 36 |
| 15 | Massachusetts General Hospital | $31,674 | $15.23 | 24 |
| 16 | Woodfield Country Club | $31,514 | $15.15 | 4 |
| 17 | Cornell University | $31,481 | $15.14 | 4 |
| 18 | Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare | $31,043 | $14.92 | 12 |
| 19 | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance | $30,991 | $14.90 | 2 |
| 20 | Morgan Stanley | $30,948 | $14.88 | 2 |
Server Salary Trends
Average Server Salary Over Time
Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Server Salary By Year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $26,900 | $12.91 | +3.6% |
| 2021 | $25,900 | $12.45 | +4.8% |
| 2020 | $24,600 | $11.85 | +4.4% |
| 2019 | $23,600 | $11.32 | +4.0% |
| 2018 | $22,600 | $10.87 | +3.7% |
Recently Added Server Salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treasure Island Resort & Casino | Currents Restaurant Host +Tips! | Lakeville, MN | 06/01/2022 | $28,175 |
| Mod Pizza | Server | Portland, OR | 06/01/2022 | $30,262 |
| Remote In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Server 2 | Joliet, IL | 06/01/2022 | $25,211 |
| Happy Bao's | Happy Bao's-Server-Urgently | Mesa, AZ | 06/01/2022 | $37,566 |
| Purple Cafe and Wine Bar | Servers at Purple Seattle | Seattle, WA | 06/01/2022 | $73,045 |
| Bonaventure Senior Living | Server-Bonaventure of Keizer | Keizer, OR | 06/01/2022 | $33,392 |
| Dainty Donuts | Server | San Ramon, CA | 06/01/2022 | $35,479 |
| Mod Pizza | Server | Charlotte, NC | 06/01/2022 | $29,781 |
| Kijung Hospitality Group Inc. | Servers Needed Korean BBQ | Irvine, CA | 06/01/2022 | $31,305 |
| I Love Pho | Server/Waitstaff at I Love PHO | Las Vegas, NV | 06/01/2022 | $20,870 |
Server Salaries FAQs
What state pays Servers the most?
Hawaii pays Servers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $37,593 per year, or $18.07 per hour.
How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a Server?
You know if you are being paid fairly as a Server if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New York you should be paid close to $34,576 per year.
What type of Server gets paid the most?
Lead Server gets paid the most. Lead Server made a median salary of $37,156. The best-paid 10 percent make $69,000, while the lowest-paid 10 percent make $19,000.
What is a good starting salary for a Server?
A good starting salary for a server is $19,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a server in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for servers is $26,857, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a server can vary by state.
Do servers make good money?
Yes, servers make good money. The average hourly wage (including tips) is only $11 an hour. Though it is possible to make over $100,000 as a server, most likely, a person will be making between $20,000 to $30,000 annually.
How much do servers make in tips on average?
Servers make about $9 an hour in tips on average. It is hard to pin an exact number to an average amount that servers make in tips because there is a significantly wide range. However, since most states have a set tipped minimum wage of $2.13 an hour, it is safe to assume that most of a server's income is coming through tips.
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