Food Servers, Nonrestaurant Salary
Food Servers, Nonrestaurants in Florida make a median of $33,930 a year, or about $16.31 an hour. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $39K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.58), that's roughly $34,419 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,658/month, about 67.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Florida. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $34K get you in Florida?
About food servers, nonrestaurants
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What this looks like in Florida
Food servers, nonrestaurant pay in Florida tracks closely to the national median, $34K locally vs. $35K nationwide, a 4% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,658/month, which is 67.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.58) 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, Florida
Entry-level food servers, nonrestaurants (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $34K. Top earners bring in $39K or more, a $10K spread from bottom to top.
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary by metro in Florida
19 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naples-Marco Island | $35K | +4% | 630 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $35K | +3% | 4,980 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | $35K | +3% | 670 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | $34K | +2% | 2,470 |
| Jacksonville | $34K | +1% | 1,150 |
| Gainesville | $34K | +1% | 230 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin | $34K | +0% | 170 |
| Port St. Lucie | $34K | +0% | 360 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota | $34K | +0% | 990 |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven | $34K | -1% | 400 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville | $34K | -1% | 340 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $32K | -5% | 4,300 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent | $32K | -6% | 320 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach | $32K | -7% | 380 |
| Ocala | $31K | -8% | 220 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor | $31K | -10% | 220 |
| Tallahassee | $30K | -12% | 250 |
| Homosassa Springs | $30K | -13% | 100 |
| Sebring | $29K | -13% | 40 |
Showing 1–10 of 19 metros
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Track food servers, nonrestaurant salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Florida numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food servers, nonrestaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Florida?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $34K, rent takes 67.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,658/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 Florida?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food servers, nonrestaurants typically earn — is $29K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,753/month. At HUD’s $1,658/month FMR, rent would take 95% 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 Florida?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $34K locally vs. $35K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does Florida compare to the national average for food servers, nonrestaurants?
Florida pays $34K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.58), the purchasing-power equivalent is $34K — below the national median.
How much do food servers, nonrestaurants make in Florida?
The median is $33,930 a year, that works out to about $16 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,210, and experienced food servers, nonrestaurants can clear $39,000. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $34K enough to live in Florida?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,442/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,658/month, which eats 67.9% 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 food servers, nonrestaurant salary go in Florida?
Florida has a Regional Price Parity of 98.58 (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 $34,419 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.