Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $26K, rent takes 87.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,601/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.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops typically earn — is $16K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,171/month.

Local pay runs 15% below the national median — $26K here vs. $31K nationally.

Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area pays $26K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s -15%.

The median is $26,370 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $16,120, and experienced hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops can clear $31,070. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,836/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,601/month, which eats 87.2% 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.

Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop salary is worth about $26,370 in national-average purchasing power.

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.