Vermont · BLS May 2025

Waiter or Waitress Salary in Vermont

Also called server. SOC 35-3031.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 4,040 waiters and waitresses working in Vermont. Here is what they are paid, what the median leaves after federal, state and FICA tax, and what that is worth against local prices.

Median pay · Vermont

$59,140A year, or $28.43 an hour.
Take-home a month$4,013After federal, state and FICA tax at 18.6%
Worth at national prices$60,373Prices here sit at 98 against 100
Against the nation67.9% aboveNational median $35,230
What waiters and waitresses earn in Vermont, May 2025
PercentileAnnualHourly
10th percentileEntry and lowest-paid$29,690$14.28
25th percentile$34,840$16.75
MedianHalf earn more, half less$59,140$28.43
75th percentile$78,520$37.75
90th percentileMost experienced and senior$89,330$42.95
MeanThe average, pulled up by the top$58,850$28.29
How we got this
  1. Median wage in VermontBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of waiters and waitresses earned more than this, half less.$59,140
  2. Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$28.43
  3. Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$4,013 a month at an effective rate of 18.6%.$48,152 a year
  4. Worth at national average pricesPrices in Vermont sit at 98 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$60,373
  5. Against the national medianThe national median is $35,230.67.9% above
  6. Jobs countedA concentration of 0.91 against the nation's 1.00.4,040
What we assumed
  • Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
  • OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
  • Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
  • Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details

Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1

What lands in the bank

A $59,140 salary in Vermont, for one single filer taking the standard deduction in 2026.

  • Federal income tax. $4,917 a year.
  • State income tax. $1,547 a year.
  • Social Security and Medicare. $4,524 a year.
  • Left over. $48,152 a year, $4,013 a month, an effective rate of 18.6%.

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What $59,140 is worth in Vermont

Prices in Vermont sit at 98 against a national average of 100, so $59,140 earned here buys what $60,373 buys at national average prices.

  • Rents. 86.5 against 100, the component that moves most between states.
  • Against local households. The median household in Vermont takes in $81,203, so this occupation's median is 0.73 times that, on one income.
  • How common the job is here. 9% less concentrated in Vermont than in the country as a whole.

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Common questions

Waiter or Waitress pay in Vermont, answered

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Vermont?

The median wage for waiters or waitresses in Vermont is $59,140 a year, or $28.43 an hour.

Half earn more than that and half earn less. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage survey for May 2025.

What is the take-home pay for a waiter or waitress in Vermont?

On the median wage of $59,140, one filer taking the standard deduction keeps about $48,152 a year, or roughly $4,013 a month.

That is after federal, state and FICA tax, an effective rate of 18.6%.

Vermont takes $1,547 of it in state income tax.

Do waiters or waitresses earn more in Vermont than in the rest of the country?

Yes. The median in Vermont is 67.9% above the national median of $35,230.

Nominal pay is only half the comparison: prices in Vermont sit at 98 against a national 100, so the gap in what the money buys is different from the gap in the salary.

Is $59,140 a good salary in Vermont?

It is 0.73 times the median household income of $81,203. A household often has more than one earner, so a single salary at this level goes further than the ratio alone suggests.

Prices in Vermont run at 98 against a national average of 100, with rents at 86.5, so $59,140 here buys about what $60,373 buys at national average prices.

What do the highest-paid waiters or waitresses earn in Vermont?

The top tenth earn $89,330 a year or more, against $29,690 at the bottom tenth.

Experience, specialism, employer and the part of Vermont someone works in all move a wage inside that range; the survey reports the spread, not the reason for it.

How many waiters or waitresses are there in Vermont?

The survey counted 4,040 of these jobs in Vermont for May 2025.

That makes the occupation 9% less concentrated here than in the country as a whole. It counts wage and salary jobs, so the self-employed are outside it.

Sources

Where this data comes from