Waiters and Waitresses Salary
In Texas, waiters and waitresses earn $23,240 at the median, or about $11.18 an hour. The range runs from $17K at the entry level to $48K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 91.49), which stretches that salary to about $25,402 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,415/month, about 81.8% 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 $23K get you in Texas?
About waiters and waitresses
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What this looks like in Texas
Pay for waiters and waitresses in Texas runs about 34% 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 82.3% 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 waiters and waitressess.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Texas
Entry-level waiters and waitresses (10th percentile) start around $17K. Mid-career wages sit at $23K. Top earners bring in $48K or more, a $31K spread from bottom to top.
Waiters and Waitresses salary by metro in Texas
25 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $28K | +21% | 20,320 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $27K | +17% | 19,170 |
| Sherman-Denison | $26K | +13% | 780 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $24K | +4% | 53,460 |
| Midland | $24K | +2% | 1,560 |
| Texarkana | $23K | +0% | 970 |
| Waco | $23K | -1% | 1,680 |
| Wichita Falls | $23K | -1% | 840 |
| Killeen-Temple | $23K | -1% | 1,900 |
| Corpus Christi | $23K | -2% | 3,390 |
| College Station-Bryan | $23K | -2% | 2,410 |
| Amarillo | $23K | -2% | 2,040 |
| Odessa | $23K | -3% | 1,400 |
| Lubbock | $23K | -3% | 3,040 |
| Abilene | $23K | -3% | 1,080 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | $22K | -4% | 2,250 |
| Tyler | $22K | -4% | 1,720 |
| Victoria | $22K | -4% | 580 |
| Longview | $22K | -4% | 1,430 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $22K | -5% | 51,330 |
| Laredo | $22K | -5% | 1,500 |
| El Paso | $22K | -6% | 5,810 |
| San Angelo | $21K | -9% | 810 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen | $21K | -10% | 2,430 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | $21K | -11% | 3,700 |
Showing 1–10 of 25 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 waiters and waitress afford a 2BR apartment alone in Texas?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $23K, rent takes 82.3% 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 $500/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 Texas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new waiters and waitresses typically earn — is $17K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,024/month. At HUD’s $1,415/month FMR, rent would take 138% 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 Texas?
Local pay runs 34% below the national median — $23K 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 waiters and waitresses?
Texas pays $23K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -34%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.49), the purchasing-power equivalent is $25K — below the national median.
How much do waiters and waitresses make in Texas?
The median is $23,240 a year, that works out to about $11 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $17,070, and experienced waiters and waitresses can clear $47,590. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $23K enough to live in Texas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,720/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,415/month, which eats 82.3% 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 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 waiters and waitresses salary is worth about $25,402 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.