Waiters and Waitresses salary in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Waiters and Waitresses in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area earns $34,800 a year ($16.73 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Waiters and Waitresses in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA earn between $34,320 and $45,590 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $34,320 or less and the top 10 percent earn $77,810 or more. BLS estimates 20,810 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA area — 12.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.83 (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, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is the #19 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Waiters and Waitresses. In aggregate, Waiters and Waitresses in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA earn about $0.95 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $37,499.64 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Waiters and Waitresses is about $0.78 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA stands #18 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Waiters and Waitresses. By employment, Waiters and Waitresses is the #12 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Waiters and Waitresses, the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median of $34,800 falls between the national 25th percentile ($27,750) and the national median ($35,230). Across all occupations, the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median is $48,400 a year — Waiters and Waitresses pay is 28.1% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $21.95 | $45,660 |
| 10th percentile | $16.50 | $34,320 |
| 25th percentile | $16.50 | $34,320 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $16.73 | $34,800 |
| 75th percentile | $21.92 | $45,590 |
| 90th percentile | $37.41 | $77,810 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Waiters and Waitresses in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA earn 2.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($77,810 against $34,320). The middle half spans $11,270 — from $34,320 to $45,590. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($37.41) is 2.27 times the 10th ($16.50). In the upper half of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,590 takes home $37,446.80 and the 90th percentile wage of $77,810 takes home $59,667.98 — $22,221.18 more net for $32,220 more gross. Against the median take-home of $29,349.10, the top decile keeps 2.03 times as much. The mean wage of $45,660 sits 31.2% above the median: higher-paid Waiters and Waitresses pull the average up in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, Waiters and Waitresses ranks #29 by median pay. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Waiters and Waitresses sits between Cashiers at $35,700 and Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $34,320. Waiters and Waitresses accounts for 1.2% of all employment in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 39,482 Waiters and Waitresses; Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA employs 0.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $34,800.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,996.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,157.60 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $504.60 |
| California income tax | $340.30 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $452.40 |
| Total deductions | $5,450.90 |
| Net pay (annual) | $29,349.10 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,128.81 |
| Total deduction rate | 15.66% of gross |
At the median, $29,349.10 of the $34,800 gross is kept ($1,128.81 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 15.66%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.53% at the 10th percentile, 15.53% at the 25th percentile, 17.86% at the 75th percentile, 23.32% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $8,457.84 on a gross rise of $11,270.
The same engine at the other published points of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($34,320) | $28,988.96 | $1,114.96 | 15.53% |
| 25th percentile ($34,320) | $28,988.96 | $1,114.96 | 15.53% |
| Median ($34,800) | $29,349.10 | $1,128.81 | 15.66% |
| 75th percentile ($45,590) | $37,446.80 | $1,440.26 | 17.86% |
| 90th percentile ($77,810) | $59,667.98 | $2,294.92 | 23.32% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $28,988.96 a year at the 10th percentile to $59,667.98 at the 90th — a spread of $30,679.02 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median wage of $48,400 takes home $39,555.84 a year ($1,521.38 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.27%). The Waiters and Waitresses median take-home of $29,349.10 sits $10,206.74 (below that area-wide figure.
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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median of $34,800 is $430 (1.2%) below the national median.
The means rank the area differently: $45,660 a year in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA against $40,060 nationally, a gap of $5,600 (14.0%).
Set against the whole local market, the Waiters and Waitresses 90th percentile of $77,810 is 65% of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($119,360), and its 10th percentile of $34,320 is 98% of the area-wide 10th ($34,850).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $34,800 | $16.73 | $45,660 |
| United States | $35,230 | $16.94 | $40,060 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Waiters and Waitresses in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
$34,800 a year ($16.73 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $45,660 a year. Ranked by median pay, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA stands #18 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $34,800 in California?
About $29,349.10 a year ($1,128.81 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 15.66% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,590, take-home is $37,446.80.
How does pay in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA compare with the national median for Waiters and Waitresses?
The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median of $34,800 is $430 (1.2%) below the national median of $35,230 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $77,810, against a national 90th percentile of $64,720.
How much do the top 10% of Waiters and Waitresses earn in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
$77,810 a year or more ($37.41 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
On $77,810 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $59,667.98 a year ($2,294.92 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 23.32%.
How many Waiters and Waitresses jobs are there in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
BLS estimates 20,810 Waiters and Waitresses jobs in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area — 12.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Waiters and Waitresses jobs in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
The location quotient is 0.83 — 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
From $28,988.96 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($34,320) to $59,667.98 at the 90th ($77,810), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Waiters and Waitresses in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
About $0.95 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 20,810 multiplied by the mean wage of $45,660.
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.