Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop in the U.S. is $31,200 ($15.00 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.

Median annual wage: $31,200
Mean annual wage: $32,690
Median hourly wage: $15.00
Employment: 432,690

Wage percentiles

U.S. wage distribution for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop (OEWS May 2025).
Percentile	Annual wage	Hourly wage
10th percentile	$22,340	$10.74
25th percentile	$27,570	$13.25
Median (50th)	$31,200	$15.00
75th percentile	$36,250	$17.43
90th percentile	$43,990	$21.15

Highest-paying states for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop

State	Median annual wage	Employment
Hawaii	$47,070	2,650
Oregon	$40,720	5,740
District of Columbia	$37,570	2,450
Washington	$37,270	9,530
Maine	$36,800	1,460
California	$36,640	41,100
New York	$36,490	18,640
Colorado	$36,340	9,490
Massachusetts	$34,960	13,540
Maryland	$34,860	7,390

Lowest-paying states

Mississippi: $21,990 median annual wage
Louisiana: $22,060 median annual wage
Wyoming: $22,660 median annual wage
West Virginia: $24,420 median annual wage
Oklahoma: $24,740 median annual wage

Related occupations

Fast Food and Counter Workers$31,200
Waiters and Waitresses$35,230
Cooks, Restaurant$37,390
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$44,080
Food Preparation Workers$35,320
Bartenders$34,340
Cooks, Fast Food$30,890
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers$33,980

About this data

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.

Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.