Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop Salary
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops earn $28,010 at the median, or about $13.47 an hour. The range runs from $17K at the entry level to $35K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.94), that's roughly $28,894 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,338/month, about 67.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $28K get you in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Milwaukee-Waukesha’s Regional Price Parity (96.94). 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.
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What this looks like in Milwaukee-Waukesha
Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop pay in Milwaukee-Waukesha tracks closely to the national median, $28K locally vs. $31K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,338/month, which is 66.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.94) 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.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops in metros near Milwaukee-Waukesha, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | $29K | $30K |
| Green Bay | $28K | $30K |
| Appleton | $28K | $30K |
| La Crosse-Onalaska | $27K | $30K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
Entry-level hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops (10th percentile) start around $17K. Mid-career wages sit at $28K. Top earners bring in $35K or more, a $18K spread from bottom to top.
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $47K | +51% | 2,650 |
| Oregon | $41K | +31% | 5,740 |
| District of Columbia | $38K | +20% | 2,450 |
| Washington | $37K | +19% | 9,530 |
| Maine | $37K | +18% | 1,460 |
| California | $37K | +17% | 41,100 |
| New York | $36K | +17% | 18,640 |
| Colorado | $36K | +16% | 9,490 |
| Massachusetts | $35K | +12% | 13,540 |
| Maryland | $35K | +12% | 7,390 |
| Arizona | $35K | +11% | 10,710 |
| Connecticut | $34K | +10% | 3,670 |
| New Jersey | $34K | +9% | 9,420 |
| New Hampshire | $34K | +9% | 2,130 |
| Rhode Island | $31K | +1% | N/A |
| Illinois | $31K | +0% | 16,500 |
| Delaware | $31K | +0% | 1,680 |
| Nevada | $31K | -0% | 6,570 |
| Vermont | $31K | -0% | 1,060 |
| Virginia | $30K | -2% | 10,890 |
| South Dakota | $30K | -3% | 630 |
| Alaska | $30K | -3% | 740 |
| Minnesota | $30K | -3% | 7,150 |
| Florida | $30K | -4% | 37,100 |
| Utah | $30K | -5% | 4,950 |
| Pennsylvania | $29K | -7% | 18,020 |
| Missouri | $29K | -7% | 8,510 |
| Michigan | $29K | -7% | 12,620 |
| Montana | $29K | -7% | 1,260 |
| North Dakota | $29K | -8% | 800 |
| New Mexico | $28K | -9% | 2,670 |
| Nebraska | $28K | -9% | 2,830 |
| North Carolina | $28K | -9% | 15,160 |
| Iowa | $28K | -10% | 2,630 |
| Kansas | $28K | -10% | 4,540 |
| Wisconsin | $28K | -10% | 6,430 |
| Georgia | $28K | -11% | 17,300 |
| Ohio | $28K | -12% | 15,480 |
| Tennessee | $27K | -12% | 11,280 |
| Idaho | $27K | -13% | 2,360 |
| Kentucky | $27K | -13% | 5,120 |
| Texas | $27K | -13% | 35,550 |
| South Carolina | $27K | -13% | 7,990 |
| Indiana | $27K | -14% | 9,730 |
| Arkansas | $27K | -14% | 3,110 |
| Alabama | $26K | -16% | 5,400 |
| Oklahoma | $25K | -21% | 5,060 |
| West Virginia | $24K | -22% | 1,580 |
| Wyoming | $23K | -27% | 660 |
| Louisiana | $22K | -29% | 6,440 |
| Mississippi | $22K | -30% | 2,660 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop afford a 2BR apartment alone in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $28K, rent takes 66.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,338/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 hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops typically earn — is $17K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,019/month. At HUD’s $1,338/month FMR, rent would take 131% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop a high-paying job in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $28K locally vs. $31K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Milwaukee-Waukesha compare to the national average for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops?
Milwaukee-Waukesha pays $28K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s -10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.94), the purchasing-power equivalent is $29K — below the national median.
How much do hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops make in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?
The median is $28,010 a year, that works out to about $13 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $16,980, and experienced hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops can clear $35,360. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $28K enough to live in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,001/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,338/month, which eats 66.9% 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 hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop salary go in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Milwaukee-Waukesha has a Regional Price Parity of 96.94 (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 hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop salary is worth about $28,894 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops 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.