Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

35-3031 Waiters and Waitresses

Occupational Description:
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment. Excludes "Counter Attendants, Cafeteria, Food Concession, and Coffee Shop" (35-3022).

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	37,630	1,882	$14.82/hr	$11.41/hr	$11.52/hr	$12.56/hr	$15.75/hr	$20.61/hr

Leading Industries for Waiters and Waitresses

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	110	$13.38/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	310	$13.50/hr
Professional and Business Services	70	$19.90/hr
Education and Health Services	N/A	N/A
Leisure and Hospitality	36,390	$12.54/hr
Other Services	360	$12.99/hr
Public Administration	190	$13.19/hr

Other Regional Data for Waiters and Waitresses

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Northeast Balance of State	730	$11.57/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	770	$11.50/hr	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	820	$13.71/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	1,070	$11.60/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	1,160	$11.57/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	1,270	$13.99/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	1,620	$11.86/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	1,830	$11.57/hr	-0.2%
Southeast Balance of State	1,830	$11.65/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	2,020	$14.95/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	2,100	$11.41/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	2,330	$11.42/hr	0.1%
Northwest Balance of State	3,090	$11.63/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	3,130	$11.78/hr	0.7%
Central Minnesota	3,440	$12.30/hr	0.4%
Northwest Minnesota	3,480	$11.61/hr	1.0%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	23,180	$12.76/hr	-0.2%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	25,620	$12.78/hr	N/A
Minnesota	37,630	$12.56/hr	0.1%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Fast Food and Counter Workers	58,970	$15.46/hr	4.2%
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop	7,150	$14.89/hr	3.0%
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers	7,220	$14.40/hr	8.0%

Task for Waiters and Waitresses

Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
Collect payments from customers.
Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals and take action to correct any problems.
Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
Present menus to patrons and answer questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request.
Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters and take them to kitchen for cleaning.
Inform customers of daily specials.
Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.
Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required.