Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers Salary
The median pay for a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in New York is $36,740/year ($17.66/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $33K at the entry level to $59K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.21), that's roughly $37,410 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,917/month, about 75.6% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across New York. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $37K get you in New York?
About dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
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What this looks like in New York
Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers pay in New York tracks closely to the national median, $37K locally vs. $34K nationwide, a 8% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,917/month, which is 76.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.21) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, New York
Entry-level dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (10th percentile) start around $33K. Mid-career wages sit at $37K. Top earners bring in $59K or more, a $26K spread from bottom to top.
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers salary by metro in New York
13 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh | $37K | +1% | 1,530 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $37K | +1% | 37,600 |
| Kingston | $37K | +0% | 410 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | $36K | -1% | 1,900 |
| Ithaca | $36K | -3% | 320 |
| Syracuse | $36K | -3% | 1,750 |
| Rochester | $35K | -4% | 2,220 |
| Glens Falls | $35K | -4% | 240 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga | $35K | -4% | 2,490 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum | $35K | -5% | 320 |
| Utica-Rome | $35K | -5% | 860 |
| Elmira | $33K | -9% | 270 |
| Binghamton | $33K | -10% | 610 |
Showing 1–10 of 13 metros
Compare to other states
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when New York 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 New York?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 76.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,917/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/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 New York?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers typically earn — is $33K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,982/month. At HUD’s $1,917/month FMR, rent would take 97% 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 New York?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $37K locally vs. $34K nationally, a 8% difference.
How does New York compare to the national average for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers?
New York pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $34K — that’s +8%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.21), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers make in New York?
The median is $36,740 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $33,040, and experienced dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers can clear $59,080. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $37K enough to live in New York?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,512/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,917/month, which eats 76.3% 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 New York?
New York has a Regional Price Parity of 98.21 (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 $37,410 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.