Waiters and Waitresses salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Pennsylvania tax rules.
The figures
The median Waiters and Waitresses in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earns $36,570 a year ($17.58 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn between $29,440 and $47,850 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $21,900 or less and the top 10 percent earn $65,340 or more. BLS estimates 41,900 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area — 14.457 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.99 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 1.8% of all Waiters and Waitresses employment in the United States (2,270,910 jobs nationally). By employment, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is the #9 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn about $1.73 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $34,166.42 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Waiters and Waitresses is about $1.43 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.1% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #11 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Waiters and Waitresses. By employment, Waiters and Waitresses is the #10 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $36,570 falls between the national median ($35,230) and the national 75th percentile ($47,110). Across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median is $54,310 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 32.7% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $19.90 | $41,390 |
| 10th percentile | $10.53 | $21,900 |
| 25th percentile | $14.15 | $29,440 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.58 | $36,570 |
| 75th percentile | $23.00 | $47,850 |
| 90th percentile | $31.41 | $65,340 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn 3.0 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($65,340 against $21,900). The middle half spans $18,410 — from $29,440 to $47,850. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($31.41) is 2.98 times the 10th ($10.53). In the upper half of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $47,850 takes home $39,158.46 and the 90th percentile wage of $65,340 takes home $52,674.88 — $13,516.42 more net for $17,490 more gross. Against the median take-home of $30,441.28, the top decile keeps 1.73 times as much. The mean wage of $41,390 sits 13.2% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Among the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #26 by median pay. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits between Stockers and Order Fillers at $36,800 and Retail Salespersons at $34,810. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.4% of all employment in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD employs 1.1 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Pennsylvania
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Pennsylvania; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $36,570.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,208.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,267.34 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $530.26 |
| Pennsylvania income tax | $1,122.70 |
| Total deductions | $6,128.72 |
| Net pay (annual) | $30,441.28 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,170.82 |
| Total deduction rate | 16.76% of gross |
At the median, $30,441.28 of the $36,570 gross is kept ($1,170.82 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 16.76%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 13.37% at the 10th percentile, 15.31% at the 25th percentile, 18.16% at the 75th percentile, 19.38% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $14,227.12 on a gross rise of $18,410.
The same engine at the other published points of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($21,900) | $18,972.40 | $729.71 | 13.37% |
| 25th percentile ($29,440) | $24,931.34 | $958.90 | 15.31% |
| Median ($36,570) | $30,441.28 | $1,170.82 | 16.76% |
| 75th percentile ($47,850) | $39,158.46 | $1,506.09 | 18.16% |
| 90th percentile ($65,340) | $52,674.88 | $2,025.96 | 19.38% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $18,972.40 a year at the 10th percentile to $52,674.88 at the 90th — a spread of $33,702.48 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median wage of $54,310 takes home $44,150.50 a year ($1,698.10 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.71%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $30,441.28 sits $13,709.22 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD also covers parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland. The take-home estimate above uses Pennsylvania rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland paycheck calculators.
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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $36,570 is $1,340 (3.8%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $41,390 a year in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $1,330 (3.3%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $65,340 is 50% of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,280), and its 10th percentile of $21,900 is 70% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $36,570 | $17.58 | $41,390 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$36,570 a year ($17.58 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $41,390 a year. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #11 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $36,570 in Pennsylvania?
About $30,441.28 a year ($1,170.82 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 $47,850, take-home is $39,158.46.
How does pay in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $36,570 is $1,340 (3.8%) above the national median of $35,230 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $65,340, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$65,340 a year or more ($31.41 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
On $65,340 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $52,674.88 a year ($2,025.96 per biweekly paycheck) in Pennsylvania under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.38%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
BLS estimates 41,900 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — 14.457 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
The location quotient is 0.99 — about the same concentration as the nation. 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
From $18,972.40 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($21,900) to $52,674.88 at the 90th ($65,340), under the same single-filer assumptions in Pennsylvania.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
About $1.73 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 41,900 multiplied by the mean wage of $41,390.
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.