Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers Salary
The median pay for a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in Auburn-Opelika, AL is $20,900/year ($10.05/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $16K at the entry level to $33K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.93), which stretches that salary to about $23,769 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $995/month, about 67.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $21K actually covers in Auburn-Opelika, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Auburn-Opelika’s Regional Price Parity (87.93). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
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What this looks like in Auburn-Opelika
Pay for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in Auburn-Opelika runs about 38% below the U.S. median of $34K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $995/month, which is 67% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.93 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 12% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in metros near Auburn-Opelika, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | $23K | $25K |
| Huntsville | $23K | $25K |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley | $22K | $24K |
| Mobile | $23K | $26K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Auburn-Opelika, AL
Entry-level dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (10th percentile) start around $16K. Mid-career wages sit at $21K. Top earners bring in $33K or more, a $17K spread from bottom to top.
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $51K | +51% | 4,380 |
| Washington | $41K | +22% | 6,160 |
| District of Columbia | $39K | +15% | 4,130 |
| Maine | $39K | +13% | 1,540 |
| Maryland | $37K | +9% | 13,240 |
| Oregon | $37K | +8% | 3,910 |
| Colorado | $37K | +8% | 8,460 |
| New York | $37K | +8% | 41,340 |
| Arizona | $37K | +7% | 13,300 |
| California | $36K | +6% | 75,460 |
| Massachusetts | $35K | +4% | 11,510 |
| Connecticut | $35K | +2% | 5,810 |
| New Jersey | $34K | +1% | 16,490 |
| Vermont | $34K | +0% | N/A |
| Florida | $33K | -2% | 50,400 |
| Virginia | $32K | -5% | 11,910 |
| Delaware | $32K | -6% | 1,540 |
| Missouri | $32K | -6% | 11,590 |
| Illinois | $31K | -8% | 21,290 |
| Rhode Island | $31K | -8% | 2,880 |
| North Dakota | $31K | -9% | 890 |
| Nebraska | $31K | -10% | 2,160 |
| Michigan | $30K | -11% | 13,050 |
| South Dakota | $30K | -12% | 2,550 |
| Tennessee | $29K | -13% | 11,330 |
| Ohio | $29K | -13% | 13,670 |
| New Mexico | $29K | -14% | 2,960 |
| Pennsylvania | $29K | -14% | 20,800 |
| Minnesota | $29K | -14% | 7,220 |
| Georgia | $29K | -15% | 14,540 |
| Indiana | $28K | -17% | 10,220 |
| Iowa | $28K | -17% | 3,250 |
| Idaho | $28K | -18% | 1,520 |
| Arkansas | $28K | -19% | 2,160 |
| North Carolina | $28K | -19% | 11,230 |
| Montana | $28K | -19% | 1,150 |
| Nevada | $27K | -19% | 12,750 |
| West Virginia | $27K | -20% | 1,170 |
| Wisconsin | $27K | -20% | 7,220 |
| Alaska | $27K | -20% | 860 |
| Utah | $27K | -21% | 4,490 |
| South Carolina | $27K | -21% | 6,220 |
| Oklahoma | $27K | -21% | 5,400 |
| Louisiana | $27K | -21% | 4,810 |
| Kentucky | $26K | -23% | 3,350 |
| Kansas | $26K | -23% | 2,960 |
| New Hampshire | $26K | -23% | 1,510 |
| Wyoming | $25K | -28% | 650 |
| Mississippi | $23K | -32% | 2,620 |
| Alabama | $22K | -34% | 3,420 |
| Texas | $22K | -37% | 60,270 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers salary changes
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helper afford a 2BR apartment alone in Auburn-Opelika?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $21K, rent takes 67% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $995/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in Auburn-Opelika?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers typically earn — is $16K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,165/month. At HUD’s $995/month FMR, rent would take 85% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helper a high-paying job in Auburn-Opelika?
Local pay runs 38% below the national median — $21K here vs. $34K nationally. Cost of living is 12% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Auburn-Opelika compare to the national average for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers?
Auburn-Opelika pays $21K median vs. the U.S. average of $34K — that’s -38%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.93), the purchasing-power equivalent is $24K — below the national median.
How much do dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers make in Auburn-Opelika, AL?
The median is $20,900 a year, that works out to about $10 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $15,920, and experienced dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers can clear $33,010. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $21K enough to live in Auburn-Opelika?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,486/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $995/month, which eats 67% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers salary go in Auburn-Opelika?
Auburn-Opelika has a Regional Price Parity of 87.93 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers salary is worth about $23,769 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.