Food Servers, Nonrestaurant Salary
Food Servers, Nonrestaurants in Louisiana make a median of $27,200 a year, or about $13.08 an hour. The range runs from $19K at the entry level to $33K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.28), which stretches that salary to about $31,164 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,191/month, about 61.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Louisiana. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $27K get you in Louisiana?
About food servers, nonrestaurants
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What this looks like in Louisiana
Pay for food servers, nonrestaurant in Louisiana runs about 23% below the U.S. median of $35K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,191/month, which is 61.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.28 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 13% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. 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, Louisiana
Entry-level food servers, nonrestaurants (10th percentile) start around $19K. Mid-career wages sit at $27K. Top earners bring in $33K or more, a $14K spread from bottom to top.
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary by metro in Louisiana
10 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans-Metairie | $29K | +8% | 770 |
| Lafayette | $28K | +2% | 270 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington | $28K | +1% | 90 |
| Baton Rouge | $27K | +0% | 390 |
| Hammond | $26K | -3% | 40 |
| Monroe | $26K | -6% | 100 |
| Lake Charles | $26K | -6% | 60 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux | $25K | -8% | 90 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City | $24K | -12% | 260 |
| Alexandria | $22K | -18% | 60 |
Compare to other states
Track food servers, nonrestaurant salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Louisiana numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food servers, nonrestaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Louisiana?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $27K, rent takes 61.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,191/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 food servers, nonrestaurants in Louisiana?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food servers, nonrestaurants typically earn — is $19K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,115/month. At HUD’s $1,191/month FMR, rent would take 107% 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 Louisiana?
Local pay runs 23% below the national median — $27K here vs. $35K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Louisiana compare to the national average for food servers, nonrestaurants?
Louisiana pays $27K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -23%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $31K — below the national median.
How much do food servers, nonrestaurants make in Louisiana?
The median is $27,200 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $18,580, and experienced food servers, nonrestaurants can clear $32,540. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $27K enough to live in Louisiana?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,929/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,191/month, which eats 61.7% 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 Louisiana?
Louisiana has a Regional Price Parity of 87.28 (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 $31,164 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.