Food Servers, Nonrestaurant Salary
Food Servers, Nonrestaurants in Napa, CA make a median of $41,850 a year, or about $20.12 an hour. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $76K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 112.55), so that salary is closer to $37,183 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,773/month, about 96% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $42K get you in Napa?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Napa’s Regional Price Parity (112.55). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About food servers, nonrestaurants
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Napa
Napa sits well above the national pay line for food servers, nonrestaurant, local pay runs about 18% higher than the U.S. median of $35K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,773/month, which is 95.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 13% above the national average (BEA RPP 112.55), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for food servers, nonrestaurants in metros near Napa, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $38K | $34K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $45K | $39K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $38K | $34K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $37K | $35K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Napa, CA
Entry-level food servers, nonrestaurants (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $42K. Top earners bring in $76K or more, a $41K spread from bottom to top.
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $39K | +11% | 17,520 |
| California | $39K | +10% | 32,430 |
| Colorado | $39K | +10% | 7,750 |
| Washington | $39K | +10% | 8,050 |
| Alaska | $38K | +8% | 430 |
| Hawaii | $38K | +7% | 880 |
| District of Columbia | $38K | +7% | 1,260 |
| Maine | $38K | +7% | 540 |
| Vermont | $38K | +6% | 780 |
| North Dakota | $37K | +4% | 1,630 |
| Massachusetts | $37K | +4% | 5,830 |
| New Hampshire | $37K | +4% | 1,770 |
| Maryland | $37K | +4% | 6,600 |
| Oregon | $37K | +4% | 4,420 |
| New Jersey | $36K | +3% | 11,400 |
| Nevada | $36K | +2% | 1,820 |
| Minnesota | $36K | +2% | 11,090 |
| Connecticut | $36K | +2% | 5,050 |
| New Mexico | $36K | +1% | 670 |
| Arizona | $35K | +0% | 4,620 |
| Virginia | $35K | -1% | 7,420 |
| Illinois | $35K | -1% | 17,560 |
| Rhode Island | $35K | -1% | 1,020 |
| Wisconsin | $35K | -2% | 6,680 |
| Michigan | $34K | -3% | 7,700 |
| Idaho | $34K | -3% | 930 |
| Florida | $34K | -4% | 19,240 |
| Pennsylvania | $33K | -6% | 13,940 |
| Wyoming | $33K | -6% | 250 |
| Kentucky | $32K | -9% | 3,660 |
| Montana | $32K | -9% | 1,050 |
| South Dakota | $32K | -10% | 160 |
| Missouri | $32K | -10% | 7,490 |
| Indiana | $32K | -10% | 3,900 |
| South Carolina | $32K | -10% | 2,990 |
| Nebraska | $32K | -11% | 3,800 |
| Georgia | $32K | -11% | 4,970 |
| North Carolina | $31K | -11% | 8,820 |
| Delaware | $31K | -11% | 1,010 |
| Tennessee | $31K | -13% | 5,230 |
| Ohio | $30K | -14% | 15,320 |
| West Virginia | $30K | -15% | 460 |
| Utah | $30K | -15% | 2,430 |
| Iowa | $30K | -15% | 5,270 |
| Texas | $29K | -17% | 14,340 |
| Kansas | $29K | -18% | 1,270 |
| Alabama | $29K | -18% | 2,920 |
| Oklahoma | $28K | -19% | 1,760 |
| Arkansas | $28K | -22% | 3,540 |
| Mississippi | $27K | -23% | 1,860 |
| Louisiana | $27K | -23% | 2,380 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track food servers, nonrestaurant salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Napa numbers change.
Related careers in Food Service
Frequently asked questions
Can a food servers, nonrestaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Napa?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $42K, rent takes 95.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,773/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/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 Napa?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food servers, nonrestaurants typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,089/month. At HUD’s $2,773/month FMR, rent would take 133% 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 Napa?
Local pay is 18% above the national median — $42K here vs. $35K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 13% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Napa compare to the national average for food servers, nonrestaurants?
Napa pays $42K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s +18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 112.55), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do food servers, nonrestaurants make in Napa, CA?
The median is $41,850 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,810, and experienced food servers, nonrestaurants can clear $76,090. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $42K enough to live in Napa?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,901/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,773/month, which eats 95.6% 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 Napa?
Napa has a Regional Price Parity of 112.55 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median food servers, nonrestaurant salary is worth about $37,183 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.