Waiters and Waitresses salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Colorado tax rules.
Take-home estimate: single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Colorado; city and local taxes are not included. Full breakdown below.
The figures
The median Waiters and Waitresses in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earns $39,650 a year ($19.06 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn between $33,770 and $74,180 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $31,010 or less and the top 10 percent earn $78,380 or more. BLS estimates 20,750 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area — 12.893 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.88 (below the national concentration). That is 0.9% of all Waiters and Waitresses employment in the United States (2,270,910 jobs nationally). By employment, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is the #20 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn about $1.08 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $42,283.80 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Waiters and Waitresses is about $0.88 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 6.8% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #6 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Waiters and Waitresses. By employment, Waiters and Waitresses is the #13 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $39,650 falls between the national median ($35,230) and the national 75th percentile ($47,110). Across all occupations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median is $62,320 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 36.4% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $24.94 | $51,870 |
| 10th percentile | $14.91 | $31,010 |
| 25th percentile | $16.23 | $33,770 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $19.06 | $39,650 |
| 75th percentile | $35.66 | $74,180 |
| 90th percentile | $37.69 | $78,380 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn 2.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($78,380 against $31,010). The middle half spans $40,410 — from $33,770 to $74,180. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($37.69) is 2.53 times the 10th ($14.91). In the upper half of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $74,180 takes home $58,460.14 and the 90th percentile wage of $78,380 takes home $61,229.88 — $2,769.74 more net for $4,200 more gross. Against the median take-home of $33,002.84, the top decile keeps 1.86 times as much. The mean wage of $51,870 sits 30.8% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Among the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #25 by median pay. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits between Cooks, Restaurant at $44,370 and Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $38,900. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.3% of all employment in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO employs 0.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Colorado
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Colorado; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $39,650.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,578.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,458.30 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $574.93 |
| Colorado income tax | $1,036.20 |
| Total deductions | $6,647.16 |
| Net pay (annual) | $33,002.84 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,269.34 |
| Total deduction rate | 16.76% of gross |
At the median, $33,002.84 of the $39,650 gross is kept ($1,269.34 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 16.76%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 14.74% at the 10th percentile, 15.50% at the 25th percentile, 21.19% at the 75th percentile, 21.88% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $29,923.42 on a gross rise of $40,410.
The same engine at the other published points of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($31,010) | $26,440.50 | $1,016.94 | 14.74% |
| 25th percentile ($33,770) | $28,536.72 | $1,097.57 | 15.50% |
| Median ($39,650) | $33,002.84 | $1,269.34 | 16.76% |
| 75th percentile ($74,180) | $58,460.14 | $2,248.47 | 21.19% |
| 90th percentile ($78,380) | $61,229.88 | $2,355.00 | 21.88% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $26,440.50 a year at the 10th percentile to $61,229.88 at the 90th — a spread of $34,789.38 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median wage of $62,320 takes home $50,220.38 a year ($1,931.55 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.42%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $33,002.84 sits $17,217.54 (34.3%) below the area-wide median take-home of $50,220.38.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Waiters and Waitresses earns $35,230 a year ($16.94 an hour). The Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $39,650 is $4,420 (12.5%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $51,870 a year in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $11,810 (29.5%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $78,380 is 53% of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO all-occupations 90th percentile ($149,200), and its 10th percentile of $31,010 is 83% of the area-wide 10th ($37,490).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $39,650 | $19.06 | $51,870 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$39,650 a year ($19.06 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $51,870 a year. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #6 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $39,650 in Colorado?
About $33,002.84 a year ($1,269.34 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 16.76% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $74,180, take-home is $58,460.14.
How does pay in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $39,650 is $4,420 (12.5%) above the national median of $35,230 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $78,380, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$78,380 a year or more ($37.69 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Waiters and Waitresses in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
On $78,380 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $61,229.88 a year ($2,355.00 per biweekly paycheck) in Colorado under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 21.88%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
BLS estimates 20,750 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area — 12.893 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
The location quotient is 0.88 — below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Waiters and Waitresses in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
From $26,440.50 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($31,010) to $61,229.88 at the 90th ($78,380), under the same single-filer assumptions in Colorado.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
About $1.08 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 20,750 multiplied by the mean wage of $51,870.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.