# Waiters and Waitresses

> Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/waiters-and-waitresses
- SOC code: 35-3031.00
- Career family: Food service
- Median annual pay: $35,230 (10th percentile $18,100, 90th percentile $64,720)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +2.0%
- Openings a year: 423,100
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code CSR)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 52 |
| Investigative (I) | 0 |
| Artistic (A) | 14 |
| Social (S) | 62 |
| Enterprising (E) | 51 |
| Conventional (C) | 66 |

## What you'd do

- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 75/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 72/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 69/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 67/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 66/100)
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People (importance 62/100)
- Getting Information (importance 57/100)
- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 54/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 54/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 52/100)

## Skills

Service Orientation, Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Persuasion, Reading Comprehension

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Sales and Marketing, Food Production, Mathematics, Administration and Management, Psychology, Education and Training, Computers and Electronics, Sociology and Anthropology

## Also called

Banquet Server, Banquet Waiter, Banquet Waitress, Bar Waiter, Bar Waitress, Buffet Waiter, Buffet Waitress, Busser, Carhop, Club Waiter

## Related careers

- [Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/dining-room-and-cafeteria-attendants-and-bartender-helpers): $33,980 median pay
- [Food Servers, Nonrestaurant](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-servers-nonrestaurant): $35,360 median pay
- [Bartenders](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bartenders): $34,340 median pay
- [Fast Food and Counter Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/fast-food-and-counter-workers): $31,200 median pay
- [Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/hosts-and-hostesses-restaurant-lounge-and-coffee-shop): $31,200 median pay
- [Baristas](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/baristas): $31,200 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.