Food Servers, Nonrestaurant pay range in Ames
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $27,610 a year or less, while the top 10% make $35,750 or more. The middle half of food servers, nonrestaurant in Ames earn between $28,490 and $35,530.
- $28K10th
- $28K25th
- $32KMedian
- $36K75th
- $36K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $31,890 | $2,658 | $15.33 |
| Median | $31,840 | $2,653 | $15.31 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $28,490 | $2,374 | $13.70 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $35,530 | $2,961 | $17.08 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary after taxes in Ames
On the average salary of $31,890, a single filer in Ames takes home about $27,204 a year, or $2,267 a month and $1,046 every two weeks. Taxes take 15% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Iowa school district surtaxes (a percentage of state tax in some districts) are not included.
Is Ames a good place for food servers, nonrestaurant? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Ames area are 11% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 88.8), so the average $31,890 buys what about $35,900 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Ames ($50,220). A typical home costs $280,269, or 8.8 years of this average salary before tax.
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary in other Iowa cities
Ames ranks 4th of 8 Iowa metro areas for this job; Des Moines pays the most ($32,910).
- Des Moines$32,910
- Davenport$32,760
- Dubuque$32,140
- Ames$31,890
- Sioux City$31,840
- Cedar Rapids$31,360
- Iowa City$30,570
- Waterloo$28,920
Highest-paying cities for food servers, nonrestaurant
Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($59,020).
- Kahului, HI$59,020
- San Jose, CA$50,590
- San Francisco, CA$48,600
- Napa, CA$48,550
- Vallejo, CA$46,710
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Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary in Ames: questions
How much do food servers, nonrestaurant make an hour in Ames?
$15.33 an hour on average, and $15.31 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level food servers, nonrestaurant salary in Ames?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $27,610 a year and the 25th percentile is $28,490, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the food servers, nonrestaurant take-home pay in Ames?
About $27,204 a year ($2,267 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $31,890. Iowa school district surtaxes (a percentage of state tax in some districts) are not included.
Do food servers, nonrestaurant earn more in Ames than elsewhere?
The average here is 13% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($36,625).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 35-3041; area Ames, IA (11180). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.5%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Iowa school district surtaxes (a percentage of state tax in some districts) are not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.71, this job is 1.7 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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