Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers Salary
The median pay for a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in Virginia is $32,410/year ($15.58/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $27K at the entry level to $46K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.79), which stretches that salary to about $34,191 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,646/month, about 74.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Virginia. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $32K get you in Virginia?
About dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
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What this looks like in Virginia
Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers pay in Virginia tracks closely to the national median, $32K locally vs. $34K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,646/month, which is 73.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.79 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Virginia
Entry-level dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (10th percentile) start around $27K. Mid-career wages sit at $32K. Top earners bring in $46K or more, a $19K spread from bottom to top.
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers salary by metro in Virginia
9 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | $35K | +7% | 340 |
| Charlottesville | $33K | +2% | 380 |
| Richmond | $30K | -7% | 1,790 |
| Lynchburg | $30K | -8% | 330 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $29K | -10% | 2,690 |
| Winchester | $29K | -11% | 180 |
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft | $29K | -12% | 120 |
| Roanoke | $29K | -12% | 380 |
| Harrisonburg | $28K | -12% | 220 |
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 Virginia 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 Virginia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $32K, rent takes 73.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,646/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/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 Virginia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers typically earn — is $27K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,642/month. At HUD’s $1,646/month FMR, rent would take 100% 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 Virginia?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $32K locally vs. $34K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Virginia compare to the national average for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers?
Virginia pays $32K median vs. the U.S. average of $34K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.79), the purchasing-power equivalent is $34K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers make in Virginia?
The median is $32,410 a year, that works out to about $16 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $27,370, and experienced dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers can clear $46,360. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $32K enough to live in Virginia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,228/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,646/month, which eats 73.9% 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 Virginia?
Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 94.79 (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 $34,191 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.