SOC 35-3031 · North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL metro

Waiters and Waitresses Salary in Sarasota, FL

The average salary for waiters and waitresses in Sarasota, Florida is $42,190 a year ($20.29 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $36,660: half of the 9,200 people in this job in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 4% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($40,608).

$42,190average per year

$20.29 / hourMedian $36,660Take-home ≈ $36,080

  • $28K10th
  • $29K25th
  • $37KMedian
  • $48K75th
  • $64K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

9,200people in this job
+4%vs U.S. metro average
#8 of 22Florida metros
102cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Waiters and Waitresses pay range in Sarasota

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $28,370 a year or less, while the top 10% make $64,080 or more. The middle half of waiters and waitresses in Sarasota earn between $29,020 and $48,110.

  • $28K10th
  • $29K25th
  • $37KMedian
  • $48K75th
  • $64K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$42,190$3,516$20.28
Median$36,660$3,055$17.62
Entry level (25th percentile)$29,020$2,418$13.95
Experienced (75th percentile)$48,110$4,009$23.13

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Waiters and Waitresses salary after taxes in Sarasota

On the average salary of $42,190, a single filer in Sarasota takes home about $36,080 a year, or $3,007 a month and $1,388 every two weeks. Taxes take 14% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.

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Is Sarasota a good place for waiters and waitresses? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Sarasota area are 2% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 102.4), so the average $42,190 buys what about $41,194 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Sarasota ($47,440). A typical home costs $403,601, or 9.6 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $42,190 is worth in another city

Waiters and Waitresses salary in other Florida cities

Sarasota ranks 8th of 22 Florida metro areas for this job; Naples pays the most ($44,610).

All Waiters and Waitresses salaries in Florida

Highest-paying cities for waiters and waitresses

Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($87,210).

Waiters and Waitresses salary by city

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Waiters and Waitresses salary in Sarasota: questions

How much do waiters and waitresses make an hour in Sarasota?

$20.29 an hour on average, and $17.63 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level waiters and waitresses salary in Sarasota?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $28,370 a year and the 25th percentile is $29,020, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the waiters and waitresses take-home pay in Sarasota?

About $36,080 a year ($3,007 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $42,190. Florida has no state income tax.

Do waiters and waitresses earn more in Sarasota than elsewhere?

The average here is 4% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($40,608).

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 35-3031; area North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL (35840). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.1%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index (a city in the same metro). Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.85, this job is 1.9 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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