BLS metro-level wage data places Waiters and Waitresses pay in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ at a median of $47,610 per year ($22.89/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $35,230, New York-Newark-Jersey City pays +35% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 138,720 waiters and waitressess are employed across the New York-Newark-Jersey City MSA in SOC 35-3031.

The New York-Newark-Jersey City pay distribution spans from $33,810 at the 10th percentile to $95,610 at the 90th — a 2.8× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $35,310 and the 75th at $64,480, so half of New York-Newark-Jersey City-based waiters and waitressess earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide NY data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.