Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
25 metro areas in California publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 224,600 jobs. The three largest employers of waiters and waitresses are Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (85,210 jobs), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (29,080 jobs), San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad (24,050 jobs), which hold 61.6% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $34,320 to $41,920 a year, against $36,080 for the whole state and $35,230 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $35,230 a year for waiters and waitresses (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $18,100 and the highest-paid tenth over $64,720). Employment is projected to change by +2.0% between 2025 and 2035, with about 423,100 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: No formal educational credential; on-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Waiters and waitresses in California: the highest median pay is in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area ($41,920 a year); the most jobs are in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area (85,210). Statewide the median is $36,080 with 229,970 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 12,600 | $41,920 | $37,340 | $97,730 | 0.76 | 81% | 110.4 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 29,080 | $38,860 | $35,780 | $74,900 | 0.84 | 76% | 115.6 |
| Napa, CA | 1,930 | $37,130 | $34,700 | $64,710 | 1.69 | 72% | 112.6 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 3,670 | $36,830 | $35,350 | $64,930 | 1.22 | 70% | 107.8 |
| Vallejo, CA | 1,660 | $36,610 | $34,490 | $68,290 | 0.79 | 71% | 108.5 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 1,640 | $35,930 | $34,400 | $79,330 | 1.14 | n/a | n/a |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 85,210 | $35,850 | $34,380 | $59,200 | 0.93 | 69% | 113.6 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 24,050 | $35,850 | $34,820 | $82,800 | 1.07 | 75% | 111.9 |
| Salinas, CA | 3,100 | $35,540 | $34,320 | $73,940 | 1.14 | 69% | 109.0 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 3,540 | $35,260 | $34,320 | $64,060 | 1.21 | 73% | 108.8 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 380 | $35,160 | $34,320 | $45,050 | 0.54 | n/a | n/a |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 13,460 | $35,070 | $34,320 | $79,720 | 0.85 | 62% | 106.7 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 2,640 | $34,950 | $34,320 | $78,800 | 1.48 | n/a | n/a |
| Modesto, CA | 2,140 | $34,910 | $34,320 | $61,390 | 0.75 | 56% | 104.1 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 4,530 | $34,910 | $34,320 | $64,300 | 0.96 | 80% | 110.5 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 20,810 | $34,800 | $34,320 | $77,810 | 0.83 | 64% | 106.4 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 2,330 | $34,460 | $34,320 | $64,120 | 0.55 | 60% | 105.1 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 2,920 | $34,320 | $34,320 | $61,520 | 0.59 | 45% | 100.9 |
| Chico, CA | 990 | $34,320 | $34,320 | $47,560 | 0.87 | 49% | 101.2 |
| El Centro, CA | 480 | $34,320 | $34,320 | $47,960 | 0.50 | n/a | n/a |
| Fresno, CA | 4,340 | $34,320 | $34,320 | $65,680 | 0.62 | 49% | 102.2 |
| Merced, CA | 560 | $34,320 | $34,320 | $51,110 | 0.48 | 47% | 98.3 |
| Redding, CA | 680 | $34,320 | $34,320 | $58,430 | 0.65 | 46% | 100.7 |
| Visalia, CA | 1,410 | $34,320 | $34,320 | $58,230 | 0.56 | 45% | 99.8 |
| Yuba City, CA | 450 | $34,320 | $34,320 | $48,360 | 0.61 | n/a | n/a |
National page: Waiters and waitresses →Cities of California
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area, with a median of $41,920 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, with 85,210 jobs.