Waiters and Waitresses
Also called: Food Server, Server, Waiter, WaitressTake orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 25 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.0% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 6.8% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 10.1 hires for every 10 job openings in accommodation and food services, which employs about 92% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.10.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $26,840 | $20,320 to $28,900 | 28,760 |
| Alaska | $26,310 | $25,290 to $29,540 | 3,830 |
| Arizona | $43,950 | $33,850 to $63,020 | 55,950 |
| Arkansas | $24,680 | $23,430 to $30,450 | 17,880 |
| California | $36,080 | $34,900 to $39,870 | 229,970 |
| Colorado | $44,860 | $32,610 to $66,360 | 40,680 |
| Connecticut | $37,770 | $35,230 to $48,250 | 22,370 |
| Delaware | $36,880 | $31,200 to $46,400 | 7,580 |
| District of Columbia | $47,850 | $36,400 to $78,520 | 11,530 |
| Florida | $36,150 | $28,550 to $47,590 | 207,180 |
| Georgia | $18,700 | $15,080 to $35,850 | 76,470 |
| Guam | $20,320 | $20,130 to $21,030 | 1,550 |
| Hawaii | $62,390 | $30,090 to $96,010 | 14,090 |
| Idaho | $30,050 | $18,040 to $46,390 | 10,950 |
| Illinois | $31,200 | $31,200 to $32,720 | 72,900 |
| Indiana | $28,480 | $20,870 to $36,550 | 43,620 |
| Iowa | $21,000 | $15,080 to $35,370 | 22,410 |
| Kansas | $36,120 | $26,830 to $47,690 | 19,480 |
| Kentucky | $29,660 | $18,170 to $45,710 | 27,150 |
| Louisiana | $15,080 | $15,080 to $23,350 | 33,870 |
| Maine | $43,370 | $32,860 to $62,910 | 9,090 |
| Maryland | $36,750 | $32,820 to $47,720 | 38,120 |
| Massachusetts | $38,460 | $35,290 to $45,700 | 54,670 |
| Michigan | $37,760 | $29,350 to $58,550 | 65,090 |
| Minnesota | $25,470 | $23,370 to $31,940 | 37,630 |
| Mississippi | $21,370 | $16,210 to $29,300 | 15,190 |
| Missouri | $29,400 | $28,600 to $40,150 | 41,640 |
| Montana | $23,370 | $22,290 to $28,960 | 7,200 |
| Nebraska | $33,770 | $28,340 to $46,710 | 13,310 |
| Nevada | $26,410 | $24,960 to $34,160 | 42,520 |
| New Hampshire | $38,430 | $30,030 to $51,320 | 10,030 |
| New Jersey | $44,960 | $35,710 to $56,410 | 55,800 |
| New Mexico | $36,920 | $28,570 to $56,940 | 12,740 |
| New York | $47,020 | $34,520 to $64,480 | 142,940 |
| North Carolina | $32,150 | $20,800 to $48,550 | 71,940 |
| North Dakota | $30,890 | $21,930 to $44,960 | 5,250 |
| Ohio | $36,700 | $28,990 to $48,170 | 77,250 |
| Oklahoma | $17,910 | $16,550 to $28,450 | 27,000 |
| Oregon | $48,410 | $35,240 to $63,620 | 23,040 |
| Pennsylvania | $34,690 | $24,490 to $46,790 | 82,300 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,790 | $21,840 to $36,690 | 12,260 |
| Rhode Island | $35,420 | $31,200 to $50,840 | 10,160 |
| South Carolina | $18,370 | $16,980 to $29,910 | 47,200 |
| South Dakota | $28,990 | $27,910 to $30,640 | 7,350 |
| Tennessee | $27,760 | $16,790 to $37,380 | 52,120 |
| Texas | $23,240 | $17,950 to $37,230 | 199,610 |
| Utah | $31,150 | $22,470 to $48,330 | 17,790 |
| Vermont | $59,140 | $34,840 to $78,520 | 4,040 |
| Virgin Islands | $36,340 | $24,090 to $64,470 | 690 |
| Virginia | $44,760 | $32,760 to $56,430 | 59,370 |
| Washington | $56,130 | $45,910 to $73,840 | 45,400 |
| West Virginia | $35,380 | $22,800 to $47,430 | 8,600 |
| Wisconsin | $29,670 | $21,000 to $43,150 | 36,220 |
| Wyoming | $23,920 | $20,800 to $38,030 | 3,620 |
Nationally: $35,230. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 25 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff. | Not published |
| AI + software | Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems. | Not published |
| Not much | Take orders from patrons for food or beverages. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect payments from customers. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining. | Not published |
See all 25 tasks
| Not much | Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes. | Not published |
| AI alone | Present menus to patrons and answer questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping and mopping floors, vacuuming carpet, tidying up server station, taking out trash, or checking and cleaning bathroom. | Not published |
| Not much | Stock service areas with supplies such as coffee, food, tableware, and linens. | Not published |
| AI alone | Inform customers of daily specials. | Not published |
| Not much | Roll silverware, set up food stations, or set up dining areas to prepare for the next shift or for large parties. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill salt, pepper, sugar, cream, condiment, and napkin containers. | Not published |
| Not much | Assist host or hostess by answering phones to take reservations or to-go orders, and by greeting, seating, and thanking guests. | Not published |
| Not much | Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare tables for meals, including setting up items such as linens, silverware, and glassware. | Not published |
| Not much | Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages. | Not published |
| AI alone | Explain how various menu items are prepared, describing ingredients and cooking methods. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide guests with information about local areas, including directions. | 0.17% |
| Not much | Perform food preparation duties, such as preparing salads, appetizers, and cold dishes, portioning desserts, and brewing coffee. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare hot, cold, and mixed drinks for patrons, and chill bottles of wine. | Not published |
| Not much | Escort customers to their tables. | Not published |
| AI alone | Describe and recommend wines to customers. | Not published |
| Not much | Garnish and decorate dishes in preparation for serving. | Not published |
| Not much | Bring wine selections to tables with appropriate glasses, and pour the wines for customers. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 25 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 25 tasks fall under 11 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- #19 Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Provide food or beverage services | |||
| Prepare foods or beverages | |||
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Stock supplies or products | |||
| Respond to customer problems or inquiries |
Show all 11 activities
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Maintain safety or security | |||
| Prepare schedules for services or facilities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation42%
- An explanation or answer26%
- A plan or strategy13%
- A chart or visualization4%
- A document or report2%
How they worked with Claude
3% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for waiters and waitresses specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 661,080 moves out
- 1 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 3 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 4%
- 4 Bartenders Moderate +5.0% 4%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 370,526 moves in
- 1 Cashiers High -6.5% 6%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 3 Bartenders Moderate +5.0% 5%
- 4 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 4%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 32% less than high school
- 58% high school
- 8% postsecondary certificate
- 1% some college
- 1% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 35 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 18% less than high school
- 32% high school
- 29% some college
- 8% associate's
- 11% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 17,939 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
34.6% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (Waiter). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Waiters and Waitresses” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/35-3031.00