Best US States for Server (Waiter/Waitress)s
All 50 states + DC ranked by Server (Waiter/Waitress) salary. State tax structure noted for take-home math.
| # | State | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | State tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $36,900 | 1.15× | ~5% effective |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $34,200 | 1.20× | ~5% effective |
| 3 | California | $33,800 | 1.18× | ~5% effective |
| 4 | Nevada | $33,700 | 1.02× | No state tax |
| 5 | New York | $33,200 | 1.15× | ~5% effective |
| 6 | Alaska | $32,700 | 1.13× | No state tax |
| 7 | New Jersey | $32,700 | 1.13× | ~5% effective |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $32,500 | 1.12× | ~5% effective |
| 9 | Connecticut | $32,100 | 1.10× | ~5% effective |
| 10 | Washington | $32,100 | 1.10× | No state tax |
| # | State | Salary | After state tax (rough) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $36,900 | $27,066 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $34,200 | $25,086 |
| 3 | California | $33,800 | $24,792 |
| 4 | Nevada | $33,700 | $26,404 |
| 5 | New York | $33,200 | $24,352 |
| 6 | Alaska | $32,700 | $25,620 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $32,700 | $23,985 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $32,500 | $23,839 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $32,100 | $23,545 |
| 10 | Washington | $32,100 | $25,150 |
| 11 | Florida | $31,800 | $24,915 |
| 12 | Maryland | $31,700 | $23,252 |
| 13 | Colorado | $31,100 | $22,812 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $31,100 | $24,367 |
| 15 | Oregon | $31,100 | $22,812 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $31,000 | $22,739 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $30,600 | $22,445 |
| 18 | Virginia | $30,600 | $22,445 |
| 19 | Arizona | $30,000 | $22,005 |
| 20 | Delaware | $30,000 | $22,005 |
| 21 | Illinois | $30,000 | $22,005 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $30,000 | $22,005 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $30,000 | $22,005 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $30,000 | $23,505 |
| 25 | Vermont | $29,800 | $21,858 |
| 26 | Maine | $29,400 | $21,565 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $29,400 | $21,565 |
| 28 | Texas | $29,400 | $23,035 |
| 29 | Utah | $29,400 | $21,565 |
| 30 | Georgia | $28,700 | $21,051 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $28,700 | $21,051 |
| 32 | Idaho | $28,500 | $20,905 |
| 33 | Michigan | $28,500 | $20,905 |
| 34 | Montana | $28,500 | $20,905 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $28,500 | $20,905 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $28,500 | $22,330 |
| 37 | New Mexico | $28,300 | $20,758 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $28,300 | $20,758 |
| 39 | Indiana | $28,100 | $20,611 |
| 40 | Kansas | $28,100 | $20,611 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $28,100 | $20,611 |
| 42 | Ohio | $28,100 | $20,611 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $28,100 | $22,016 |
| 44 | Iowa | $27,900 | $20,465 |
| 45 | Missouri | $27,900 | $20,465 |
| 46 | Alabama | $27,500 | $20,171 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $27,500 | $20,171 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $27,500 | $20,171 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $27,100 | $19,878 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $27,100 | $19,878 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $26,600 | $19,511 |
What moves with you and what does not
The ranking below understates how sticky this career is geographically. Server (Waiter/Waitress) requires Alcohol server permit required in many states if serving alcohol, and moving states can mean re-qualifying rather than simply relocating. That friction is why licensed occupations show more persistent pay differences between states than unlicensed ones — the labor supply cannot equalize quickly.
Tax and what the numbers are worth
Income tax reshuffles this ranking. Nevada, Alaska, Washington appear in the top ten and levy no state income tax, so the gross figures understate take-home there by roughly 3–6% relative to a taxing state at the same salary. Against a high-tax state, that is worth several thousand dollars a year at this occupation's median of $30,000.
Treat a no-income-tax state as a shift in where the tax lands rather than a removal of it — property tax rates in those states tend to run above the national average, which matters once you own rather than rent.
The spread from Mississippi ($26,600) to Hawaii ($36,900) is 39%. Cost of living explains most of it — a state paying 25% above the national median for this role usually costs proportionally more to live in, which is why cost-adjusted rankings look different from nominal ones.
Where the field is heading
Worth weighing against the pay figures: Server (Waiter/Waitress) employment is projected to decline 1% nationally through 2034. There are still roughly 456,700 openings a year from replacement demand, but a shrinking field rewards geographic flexibility and tends to punish being in the wrong state at the wrong time.
Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.