Median pay for dining room attendants runs from $17,640 in North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area to $61,230 in Kahului-Wailuku — a 3.47× range across 508 metropolitan areas. The national median of $33,980 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of dining room attendants earn below $21,300 and ten per cent above $46,570 — a 2.19× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 37%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
Kahului-Wailuku (HI) leads and North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area () trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $61,230 | $29.44 | 3.26 | 840 |
| Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $50,680 | $24.37 | 2.83 | 1,040 |
| Urban Honolulu HI | $50,200 | $24.14 | 1.61 | 2,500 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $45,120 | $21.69 | 0.5 | 3,630 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $41,710 | $20.06 | 0.86 | 3,420 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $39,310 | $18.90 | 1.28 | 10,650 |
| Portland-South Portland ME | $39,170 | $18.83 | 0.73 | 740 |
| Northeast Maine nonmetropolitan area | $39,100 | $18.80 | 0.63 | 140 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $38,210 | $18.37 | 0.57 | 190 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $38,120 | $18.33 | 0.51 | 2,160 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $37,980 | $18.26 | 1.72 | 560 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $37,700 | $18.13 | 0.49 | 220 |
| Walla Walla WA | $37,700 | $18.12 | 0.54 | 50 |
| Bangor ME | $37,670 | $18.11 | 0.85 | 210 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | $37,540 | $18.05 | 1.26 | 5,950 |
| Napa CA | $37,470 | $18.02 | 3.21 | 870 |
| Boulder CO | $37,460 | $18.01 | 1.04 | 700 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA | $37,420 | $17.99 | 0.43 | 80 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $37,320 | $17.94 | 0.42 | 190 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | $37,270 | $17.92 | 0.45 | 170 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $37,260 | $17.91 | 1.26 | 13,800 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh NY | $37,040 | $17.81 | 1.63 | 1,530 |
| Lawton OK | $37,000 | $17.79 | 1.78 | 270 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $36,980 | $17.78 | 1.13 | 37,600 |
| Longview-Kelso WA | $36,980 | $17.78 | 0.34 | 50 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $17,640 | $8.48 | 0.78 | 750 |
| Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $18,060 | $8.68 | 0.2 | 40 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen TX | $19,290 | $9.27 | 1.05 | 580 |
| El Paso TX | $19,620 | $9.44 | 1.13 | 1,330 |
| Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $19,830 | $9.53 | 0.57 | 300 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX | $19,910 | $9.57 | 0.91 | 940 |
| Killeen-Temple TX | $19,990 | $9.61 | 0.92 | 480 |
| Lubbock TX | $20,140 | $9.68 | 1.25 | 730 |
| San Angelo TX | $20,160 | $9.69 | 1.2 | 210 |
| Odessa TX | $20,320 | $9.77 | 1.15 | 320 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $61,230 | $29.44 | 3.26 | 840 |
| Napa CA | $37,470 | $18.02 | 3.21 | 870 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton NJ | $35,470 | $17.05 | 3.16 | 1,860 |
| Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $50,680 | $24.37 | 2.83 | 1,040 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas NV | $28,290 | $13.60 | 2.73 | 10,840 |
| South Florida nonmetropolitan area | $30,330 | $14.58 | 2.7 | 830 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA | $34,730 | $16.70 | 2.56 | 1,090 |
| Naples-Marco Island FL | $34,560 | $16.61 | 2.46 | 1,490 |
| Cleveland TN | $24,240 | $11.65 | 2.34 | 350 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum NY | $34,740 | $16.70 | 2.33 | 320 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor FL | $34,850 | $16.76 | 2.31 | 460 |
| Elmira NY | $33,250 | $15.99 | 2.3 | 270 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $36,980 | $17.78 | 1.13 | 37,600 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $35,800 | $17.21 | 1.14 | 24,860 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $21,050 | $10.12 | 1.32 | 18,600 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $31,200 | $15.00 | 1.15 | 18,100 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $21,850 | $10.51 | 1.46 | 16,740 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $34,710 | $16.69 | 1.68 | 16,490 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $37,260 | $17.91 | 1.26 | 13,800 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $32,220 | $15.49 | 1.09 | 10,990 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas NV | $28,290 | $13.60 | 2.73 | 10,840 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $39,310 | $18.90 | 1.28 | 10,650 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $29,470 | $14.17 | 0.98 | 9,880 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $36,960 | $17.77 | 1.19 | 9,850 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 35-9011. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 508 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.