Waiters and Waitresses salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Florida tax rules.
Take-home estimate: single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Florida; city and local taxes are not included. Full breakdown below.
The figures
The median Waiters and Waitresses in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area earns $36,070 a year ($17.34 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL earn between $28,040 and $46,890 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $27,260 or less and the top 10 percent earn $63,680 or more. BLS estimates 57,830 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL area — 20.507 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.4 (well above the national concentration). That is 2.5% of all Waiters and Waitresses employment in the United States (2,270,910 jobs nationally). By employment, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL is the #3 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL earn about $2.38 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $35,219.82 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Waiters and Waitresses is about $2.04 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.8% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL stands #14 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Waiters and Waitresses. By employment, Waiters and Waitresses is the #6 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median of $36,070 falls between the national median ($35,230) and the national 75th percentile ($47,110). Across all occupations, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median is $48,640 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 25.8% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $19.77 | $41,120 |
| 10th percentile | $13.11 | $27,260 |
| 25th percentile | $13.48 | $28,040 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.34 | $36,070 |
| 75th percentile | $22.54 | $46,890 |
| 90th percentile | $30.61 | $63,680 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL earn 2.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($63,680 against $27,260). The middle half spans $18,850 — from $28,040 to $46,890. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($30.61) is 2.33 times the 10th ($13.11). In the upper half of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $46,890 takes home $39,856.22 and the 90th percentile wage of $63,680 takes home $53,347.08 — $13,490.86 more net for $16,790 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,162.24, the top decile keeps 1.71 times as much. The mean wage of $41,120 sits 14.0% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL. Among the 30 covered occupations in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #24 by median pay. In the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits between Stockers and Order Fillers at $36,110 and Security Guards at $36,040. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 2.1% of all employment in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL employs 1.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Florida
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Florida; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $36,070.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,148.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,236.34 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $523.02 |
| Florida income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $4,907.76 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,162.24 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,198.55 |
| Total deduction rate | 13.61% of gross |
At the median, $31,162.24 of the $36,070 gross is kept ($1,198.55 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 13.61%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 11.74% at the 10th percentile, 11.91% at the 25th percentile, 15.00% at the 75th percentile, 16.23% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $15,155.14 on a gross rise of $18,850.
The same engine at the other published points of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($27,260) | $24,058.88 | $925.34 | 11.74% |
| 25th percentile ($28,040) | $24,701.08 | $950.04 | 11.91% |
| Median ($36,070) | $31,162.24 | $1,198.55 | 13.61% |
| 75th percentile ($46,890) | $39,856.22 | $1,532.93 | 15.00% |
| 90th percentile ($63,680) | $53,347.08 | $2,051.81 | 16.23% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $24,058.88 a year at the 10th percentile to $53,347.08 at the 90th — a spread of $29,288.20 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median wage of $48,640 takes home $41,261.98 a year ($1,587.00 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.17%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $31,162.24 sits $10,099.74 (24.5%) below the area-wide median take-home of $41,261.98.
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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median of $36,070 is $840 (2.4%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $41,120 a year in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $1,060 (2.6%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $63,680 is 52% of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL all-occupations 90th percentile ($122,530), and its 10th percentile of $27,260 is 90% of the area-wide 10th ($30,140).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $36,070 | $17.34 | $41,120 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
$36,070 a year ($17.34 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $41,120 a year. Ranked by median pay, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL stands #14 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $36,070 in Florida?
About $31,162.24 a year ($1,198.55 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 13.61% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $46,890, take-home is $39,856.22.
How does pay in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL median of $36,070 is $840 (2.4%) above the national median of $35,230 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $63,680, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
$63,680 a year or more ($30.61 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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
On $63,680 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $53,347.08 a year ($2,051.81 per biweekly paycheck) in Florida under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 16.23%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
BLS estimates 57,830 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area — 20.507 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
The location quotient is 1.4 — well above 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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
From $24,058.88 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($27,260) to $53,347.08 at the 90th ($63,680), under the same single-filer assumptions in Florida.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL?
About $2.38 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 57,830 multiplied by the mean wage of $41,120.
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.