Food Servers, Nonrestaurant Salary
Food Servers, Nonrestaurants in Texas make a median of $29,300 a year, or about $14.09 an hour. The range runs from $22K at the entry level to $37K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 91.49), which stretches that salary to about $32,025 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,415/month, about 64.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Texas. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $29K get you in Texas?
About food servers, nonrestaurants
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What this looks like in Texas
Pay for food servers, nonrestaurant in Texas runs about 17% below the U.S. median of $35K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,415/month, which is 66.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 91.49 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 9% 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, Texas
Entry-level food servers, nonrestaurants (10th percentile) start around $22K. Mid-career wages sit at $29K. Top earners bring in $37K or more, a $15K spread from bottom to top.
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary by metro in Texas
20 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midland | $34K | +17% | 150 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $33K | +11% | 1,890 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $31K | +6% | 4,100 |
| El Paso | $30K | +1% | 420 |
| Lubbock | $30K | +1% | 180 |
| Waco | $29K | -0% | 140 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $29K | -1% | 3,480 |
| Amarillo | $29K | -1% | 80 |
| Tyler | $29K | -1% | 80 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $29K | -2% | 1,190 |
| Killeen-Temple | $29K | -3% | 180 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | $29K | -3% | 80 |
| Sherman-Denison | $28K | -5% | 60 |
| Odessa | $28K | -5% | 40 |
| Abilene | $27K | -7% | 70 |
| Wichita Falls | $27K | -8% | 50 |
| Longview | $27K | -9% | 80 |
| Corpus Christi | $25K | -13% | 210 |
| Texarkana | $25K | -15% | 70 |
| College Station-Bryan | $24K | -18% | 290 |
Showing 1–10 of 20 metros
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Texas numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a food servers, nonrestaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Texas?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $29K, rent takes 66.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,415/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 Texas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food servers, nonrestaurants typically earn — is $22K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,316/month. At HUD’s $1,415/month FMR, rent would take 108% 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 Texas?
Local pay runs 17% below the national median — $29K here vs. $35K nationally. Cost of living is 9% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Texas compare to the national average for food servers, nonrestaurants?
Texas pays $29K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.49), the purchasing-power equivalent is $32K — below the national median.
How much do food servers, nonrestaurants make in Texas?
The median is $29,300 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $21,930, and experienced food servers, nonrestaurants can clear $36,930. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $29K enough to live in Texas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,132/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,415/month, which eats 66.4% 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 Texas?
Texas has a Regional Price Parity of 91.49 (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 $32,025 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.