Waiters and Waitresses Salary in North Carolina
The median annual wage for waiters and waitresses in North Carolina is $32,150 ($15.46 per hour) — -8.7% vs. the national median of $35,230. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $32,150
- Mean annual wage
- $37,850
- Median hourly wage
- $15.46
- Employment in NC
- 71,940
71,940 employed · 14.6 per 1,000 jobs
Wage percentiles in North Carolina
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17,140 | $8.24 |
| 25th percentile | $20,800 | $10.00 |
| Median (50th) | $32,150 | $15.46 |
| 75th percentile | $48,550 | $23.34 |
| 90th percentile | $62,670 | $30.13 |
What this salary is worth in North Carolina
- Cost-of-living adjusted salary
- $34,084
- Median rent burden
- 45.8%
- Est. affordable home price
- $117,281
North Carolina prices are 94.3 vs. U.S. average = 100 (BEA RPP, 2024)
Median gross rent in North Carolina: $1,228/mo (ACS 2020-2024). 30% of income = $804/mo
At 6.67% 30-yr rate (FRED, 2026-08), 20% down, 28% front-end DTI, 1.5%/yr taxes+insurance
For context, the median home value in North Carolina is $288,900 (ACS 2020-2024).
Estimates from documented formulas — see methodology. Not financial advice.
Waiters and Waitresses salary in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Other salaries in North Carolina
- Accountants and Auditors in North Carolina
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in North Carolina
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other in North Carolina
- Cashiers in North Carolina
- Construction Laborers in North Carolina
- Cooks, Restaurant in North Carolina
- Customer Service Representatives in North Carolina
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in North Carolina
- Fast Food and Counter Workers in North Carolina
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers in North Carolina
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers in North Carolina
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers in North Carolina
- General and Operations Managers in North Carolina
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in North Carolina
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides in North Carolina
- Human Resources Specialists in North Carolina
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in North Carolina
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in North Carolina
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers in North Carolina
- Light Truck Drivers in North Carolina
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General in North Carolina
- Management Analysts in North Carolina
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists in North Carolina
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in North Carolina
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators in North Carolina
- Nursing Assistants in North Carolina
- Office Clerks, General in North Carolina
- Project Management Specialists in North Carolina
- Receptionists and Information Clerks in North Carolina
- Registered Nurses in North Carolina
- Retail Salespersons in North Carolina
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel in North Carolina
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products in North Carolina
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in North Carolina
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in North Carolina
- Security Guards in North Carolina
- Software Developers in North Carolina
- Stockers and Order Fillers in North Carolina
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary in North Carolina
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.
- Regional Price Parities — data period 2024, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates — data period 2020-2024, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Federal Reserve Economic Data — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 17, 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.