Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers in North Dakota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$27,097
after federal, FICA and North Dakota tax
Tax takes
$3,913
12.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$30,593
North Dakota costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in North Dakota — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$31,010
Kept after tax
$27,097
Worth in national money
$30,593
State rank
21
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- North Dakota sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $31,010, ranking 21 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in North Dakota, this one sits low: 450 of 460 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Here is where North Dakota does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $31,010 you keep $27,097, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $30,593 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $30,980, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- North Dakota occupies the middle band for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers: a median of $31,010, ranking 21 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers occupies position 450 of 460 in North Dakota's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- After federal, FICA and North Dakota income tax, retained pay for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers on $31,010 is $27,097. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $30,593 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $30,980 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $21,110 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $31,010 |
| Top tenth earn over | $37,320 |
| This salary | $31,010 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in North Dakota | $27,097 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $27,097 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,708 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $31,010 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,276 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in North Dakota earn less than $31,010. The published range is $21,110 up to $37,320, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In North Dakota the take-home figure of $27,097, from $31,010, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 450 of 460 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of North Dakota, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $30,593, the adjusted value of that $31,010 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 450 of 460 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in North Dakota the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $21,110 to $37,320. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for North Dakota is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $27,097 from $31,010. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 450 of 460 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Dakota, so $30,593 — the adjusted value of that $31,010 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 450 of 460 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $21,110 at the bottom tenth to $37,320 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. North Dakota is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $30,593 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; North Dakota then takes its own share, leaving $27,097.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($21,110 to $37,320) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to North Dakota rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
North Dakota's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $30,593 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $27,097 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and North Dakota income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.