Waiters and Waitresses in Oklahoma
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$16,053
after federal, FICA and Oklahoma tax
Tax takes
$1,857
10.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$18,183
Oklahoma costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Oklahoma — 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
$17,910
Kept after tax
$16,053
Worth in national money
$18,183
State rank
50
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for waiters and waitresses is on the low side in Oklahoma. The middle earner gets $17,910. That is 50 of 51 states, and about 49.16% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Measured against other jobs in Oklahoma, this one sits low: 492 of 492 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Here is where Oklahoma does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $17,910 you keep $16,053, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $18,183 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $25,870, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For waiters and waitresses, Oklahoma sits in the lower band at $17,910, ranking 50 of 51 and trailing the national median by about 49.16%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- Waiters and waitresses occupies position 492 of 492 in Oklahoma'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 Oklahoma income tax, retained pay for waiters and waitresses on $17,910 is $16,053. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $18,183 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 $25,870 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Waiters and Waitresses
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $15,230 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $17,910 |
| Top tenth earn over | $47,630 |
| This salary | $17,910 |
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 Oklahoma | $16,053 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $16,359 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,349 |
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 | $17,539 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,592 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Oklahoma earn less than $17,910. The published range is $15,230 up to $47,630, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $16,053 take-home in Oklahoma comes from $17,910. 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 492 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $18,183 uses one figure for the whole of Oklahoma. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 492.
- Reported values are medians; for waiters and waitresses in Oklahoma the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $15,230 to $47,630. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $16,053, from $17,910, assumes a single Oklahoma 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 492 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 50 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $18,183, worked from $17,910, 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 Oklahoma address, on work sitting at 492 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $25,870 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $15,230 at the bottom tenth to $47,630 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Oklahoma is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $18,183 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; Oklahoma then takes its own share, leaving $16,053.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Oklahoma is $25,870. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($15,230) and the ninetieth ($47,630) 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?
Oklahoma'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 $18,183 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 $16,053 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Oklahoma 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.