Waiters and Waitresses Salary
In Grants Pass, OR, waiters and waitresses earn $48,950 at the median, or about $23.54 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $76K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.76), that's roughly $50,072 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,363/month, about 40.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $49K get you in Grants Pass?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Grants Pass’s Regional Price Parity (97.76). 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 waiters and waitresses
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What this looks like in Grants Pass
Grants Pass sits well above the national pay line for waiters and waitresses, local pay runs about 39% 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 $1,363/month, which is 43.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.76) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for waiters and waitresses in metros near Grants Pass, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | $55K | $52K |
| Eugene-Springfield | $43K | $42K |
| Salem | $49K | $47K |
| Bend | $50K | $49K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Grants Pass, OR
Entry-level waiters and waitresses (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $49K. Top earners bring in $76K or more, a $45K spread from bottom to top.
Waiters and Waitresses pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Waiters and Waitresses salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $62K | +77% | 14,090 |
| Vermont | $59K | +68% | 4,040 |
| Washington | $56K | +59% | 45,400 |
| Oregon | $48K | +37% | 23,040 |
| District of Columbia | $48K | +36% | 11,530 |
| New York | $47K | +33% | 142,940 |
| New Jersey | $45K | +28% | 55,800 |
| Colorado | $45K | +27% | 40,680 |
| Virginia | $45K | +27% | 59,370 |
| Arizona | $44K | +25% | 55,950 |
| Maine | $43K | +23% | 9,090 |
| Massachusetts | $38K | +9% | 54,670 |
| New Hampshire | $38K | +9% | 10,030 |
| Connecticut | $38K | +7% | 22,370 |
| Michigan | $38K | +7% | 65,090 |
| New Mexico | $37K | +5% | 12,740 |
| Delaware | $37K | +5% | 7,580 |
| Maryland | $37K | +4% | 38,120 |
| Ohio | $37K | +4% | 77,250 |
| Florida | $36K | +3% | 207,180 |
| Kansas | $36K | +3% | 19,480 |
| California | $36K | +2% | 229,970 |
| Rhode Island | $35K | +1% | 10,160 |
| West Virginia | $35K | +0% | 8,600 |
| Pennsylvania | $35K | -2% | 82,300 |
| Nebraska | $34K | -4% | 13,310 |
| North Carolina | $32K | -9% | 71,940 |
| Illinois | $31K | -11% | 72,900 |
| Utah | $31K | -12% | 17,790 |
| North Dakota | $31K | -12% | 5,250 |
| Idaho | $30K | -15% | 10,950 |
| Wisconsin | $30K | -16% | 36,220 |
| Kentucky | $30K | -16% | 27,150 |
| Missouri | $29K | -17% | 41,640 |
| South Dakota | $29K | -18% | 7,350 |
| Indiana | $28K | -19% | 43,620 |
| Tennessee | $28K | -21% | 52,120 |
| Alabama | $27K | -24% | 28,760 |
| Nevada | $26K | -25% | 42,520 |
| Alaska | $26K | -25% | 3,830 |
| Minnesota | $25K | -28% | 37,630 |
| Arkansas | $25K | -30% | 17,880 |
| Wyoming | $24K | -32% | 3,620 |
| Montana | $23K | -34% | 7,200 |
| Texas | $23K | -34% | 199,610 |
| Mississippi | $21K | -39% | 15,190 |
| Iowa | $21K | -40% | 22,410 |
| Georgia | $19K | -47% | 76,470 |
| South Carolina | $18K | -48% | 47,200 |
| Oklahoma | $18K | -49% | 27,000 |
| Louisiana | $15K | -57% | 33,870 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track waiters and waitresses salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Grants Pass numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a waiters and waitress afford a 2BR apartment alone in Grants Pass?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $49K, rent takes 43.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,363/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 waiters and waitresses in Grants Pass?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new waiters and waitresses typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,855/month. At HUD’s $1,363/month FMR, rent would take 73% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is waiters and waitress a high-paying job in Grants Pass?
Local pay is 39% above the national median — $49K here vs. $35K nationally.
How does Grants Pass compare to the national average for waiters and waitresses?
Grants Pass pays $49K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s +39%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.76), the purchasing-power equivalent is $50K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do waiters and waitresses make in Grants Pass, OR?
The median is $48,950 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $30,910, and experienced waiters and waitresses can clear $76,070. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $49K enough to live in Grants Pass?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,134/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,363/month, which eats 43.5% 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 waiters and waitresses salary go in Grants Pass?
Grants Pass has a Regional Price Parity of 97.76 (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 waiters and waitresses salary is worth about $50,072 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do waiters and waitresses 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.