Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers Salary
The median pay for a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in Montana is $27,510/year ($13.23/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $22K at the entry level to $38K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97), that's roughly $28,361 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,129/month, about 58% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Montana. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $28K get you in Montana?
About dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
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What this looks like in Montana
Pay for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in Montana runs about 19% below the U.S. median of $34K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,129/month, which is 57.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helperss.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Montana
Entry-level dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (10th percentile) start around $22K. Mid-career wages sit at $28K. Top earners bring in $38K or more, a $16K spread from bottom to top.
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers salary by metro in Montana
4 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billings | $26K | -5% | 290 |
| Missoula | $24K | -14% | 180 |
| Helena | $23K | -16% | 90 |
| Great Falls | $23K | -16% | 100 |
Compare to other states
Track dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Montana numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helper afford a 2BR apartment alone in Montana?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $28K, rent takes 57.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,129/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/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 Montana?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers typically earn — is $22K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,317/month. At HUD’s $1,129/month FMR, rent would take 86% 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 Montana?
Local pay runs 19% below the national median — $28K here vs. $34K nationally.
How does Montana compare to the national average for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers?
Montana pays $28K median vs. the U.S. average of $34K — that’s -19%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97), the purchasing-power equivalent is $28K — below the national median.
How much do dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers make in Montana?
The median is $27,510 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $21,950, and experienced dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers can clear $38,350. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $28K enough to live in Montana?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,961/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,129/month, which eats 57.6% 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 Montana?
Montana has a Regional Price Parity of 97 (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 $28,361 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.