Waiters and Waitresses in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont

BLS metro-level wage data places Waiters and Waitresses pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at a median of $38,860 per year ($18.69/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $35,230, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont pays +10% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 29,080 waiters and waitressess are employed across the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont MSA in SOC 35-3031.

The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont pay distribution spans from $35,780 at the 10th percentile to $74,900 at the 90th, a 2.1× 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 $36,880 and the 75th at $43,310, so half of San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont-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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 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 CA data, and peer-metro comparisons, a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.