BLS metro-level wage data places Waiters and Waitresses pay in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD at a median of $36,570 per year ($17.58/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $35,230, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington pays +4% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 41,900 waiters and waitressess are employed across the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington MSA in SOC 35-3031.

The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington pay distribution spans from $21,900 at the 10th percentile to $65,340 at the 90th — a 3.0× 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 $29,440 and the 75th at $47,850, so half of Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington-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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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 PA data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.