Food Servers, Nonrestaurant Salary
Food Servers, Nonrestaurants in Delaware make a median of $31,430 a year, or about $15.11 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $45K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.51), that's roughly $32,233 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,448/month, about 66.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Delaware. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $31K get you in Delaware?
About food servers, nonrestaurants
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What this looks like in Delaware
Pay for food servers, nonrestaurant in Delaware runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $35K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,448/month, which is 66.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.51) 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 food servers, nonrestaurants.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Delaware
Entry-level food servers, nonrestaurants (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $31K. Top earners bring in $45K or more, a $14K spread from bottom to top.
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary by metro in Delaware
1 metro area with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | $31K | -1% | 100 |
Compare to other states
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food servers, nonrestaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Delaware?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $31K, rent takes 66.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,448/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 food servers, nonrestaurants in Delaware?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food servers, nonrestaurants typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,872/month. At HUD’s $1,448/month FMR, rent would take 77% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is food servers, nonrestaurant a high-paying job in Delaware?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $31K here vs. $35K nationally.
How does Delaware compare to the national average for food servers, nonrestaurants?
Delaware pays $31K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.51), the purchasing-power equivalent is $32K — below the national median.
How much do food servers, nonrestaurants make in Delaware?
The median is $31,430 a year, that works out to about $15 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,200, and experienced food servers, nonrestaurants can clear $44,730. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $31K enough to live in Delaware?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,176/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,448/month, which eats 66.5% 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 food servers, nonrestaurant salary go in Delaware?
Delaware has a Regional Price Parity of 97.51 (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 food servers, nonrestaurant salary is worth about $32,233 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do food servers, nonrestaurants 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.