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Role hub · Waiters and Waitresses

Server: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of servers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$35,230
Hourly
$16.94
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Servers take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment. The median pay is $35,230 a year ($16.94 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent (58% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$35,230
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
2,270,910
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 2 of 5
some preparation
Most common education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
58% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Waiters and Waitresses (O*NET-SOC 35-3031.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Explore the role

Every page for Servers

SalaryServer salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeServer how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →ResumeServer resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsServer interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What servers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Collect payments from customers.
  2. Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
  3. Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
  4. Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems.
  5. Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
  6. Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
  7. Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning.
  8. Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Service OrientationcoreActive ListeningcoreSpeakingcoreSocial PerceptivenessCoordinationMonitoringCritical ThinkingPersuasionJudgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Sales and Marketing.

Tools and technology

Software servers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Compris Advanced Manager's WorkstationPoint of sale POS software
  • Compris softwarePoint of sale POS software
  • Hospitality Control Solutions Aloha Point-of-SalePoint of sale POS software
  • Intuit QuickBooks Point of SalePoint of sale POS software
  • MICROS Systems HSI Profits SeriesPoint of sale POS software
  • NCR Advanced Checkout SolutionPoint of sale POS software
  • NCR NeighborhoodPOSPoint of sale POS software
  • The General StorePoint of sale POS software
  • BlinkInstant messaging software

Also called: Waitress, Waiter, Banquet Server, Busser, Cocktail Server, Food Runner, Food Server, Restaurant Server.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).