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.