Waiters and Waitresses in Alabama
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$22,612
after federal, FICA and Alabama tax
Tax takes
$4,228
15.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$25,133
Alabama costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Alabama — 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
$26,840
Kept after tax
$22,612
Worth in national money
$25,133
State rank
38
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Alabama is among the lower-paying states for waiters and waitresses. The middle earner takes $26,840, ranking 38 of 51 states — about 23.81% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Alabama, this one sits low: 469 of 482 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $26,840 you keep $22,612 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $25,133 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $27,200, since top earners drag the number up.
- Alabama ranks 38 of 51 for waiters and waitresses, with a median of $26,840 — about 23.81% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Waiters and waitresses occupies position 469 of 482 in Alabama'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.
- Retained pay in Alabama is $22,612 after the full tax stack, from $26,840. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $25,133 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $27,200 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Waiters and Waitresses
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $16,550 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $26,840 |
| Top tenth earn over | $36,090 |
| This salary | $26,840 |
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 Alabama | $22,612 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $23,713 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$731 |
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 | $25,503 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$862 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $26,840 as a midpoint for Alabama, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $16,550 and the ninetieth is $36,090 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- That $22,612 take-home in Alabama comes from $26,840. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 469 of 482.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $25,133 uses one figure for the whole of Alabama. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 482 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 469.
- The Alabama median of $26,840 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $16,550 to $36,090. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Retained pay of $22,612, from $26,840, assumes a single Alabama filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 469 of 482 locally, and the state ranks 38 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $25,133, worked from $26,840, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Alabama address, on work sitting at 469 of 482 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $16,550 at the bottom tenth to $36,090 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $25,133.
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; Alabama then takes its own share, leaving $22,612.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($16,550) and the ninetieth ($36,090) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Alabama'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 $25,133 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 $22,612 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Alabama 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.