SALARY · WAITERS AND WAITRESSES · KENTUCKY

Waiters and Waitresses salary in Kentucky

People ask me what a job pays, and my honest answer is always: it depends on the state. For waiters and waitresses in Kentucky, the middle of the field earned $29,660 a year. Use that as your anchor, then look at experience, employer size and city before you judge any single offer.

MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY

$29,660

$14 per hour at the median · That is $5,570 (15.8 percent) below the national median of $35,230 for this occupation.

$35,410Mean annual salary
$17Mean hourly wage
$27,150People employed in this job in Kentucky

Salary range

25th: $18,170Median: $29,66075th: $45,710
MeasureAnnual
25th percentile$18,170
Median (50th percentile)$29,660
75th percentile$45,710
Mean$35,410

The middle half of workers earned from $18,170 to $45,710 a year. Hourly pay matters if your hours vary. An annual figure can look strong while the hourly rate tells a different story, especially in jobs with seasonal hours or overtime. Check both before you compare two offers.

What stays in your pocket on the median salary

ESTIMATED TAKE-HOME PAY

$25,091 a year
$2,091 a month
Federal tax $1,379 · FICA $2,269 · State tax $921

Caveat: the Kentucky form was retrieved via a reproduction, not directly from revenue.ky.gov.

Kentucky city and county occupational taxes are separate and are not in this figure.

Read this before you use the take-home figure. It is a single-filer estimate using the 2026 standard deduction. It leaves out credits, other deductions, local taxes, and retirement or health deductions. Your actual paycheck can differ, and for states without a verified 2026 table in this build, state tax is still to be added once its table is verified.

Same job, other states

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