What Waiters and Waitresses earn in Dakota County, MN
The median pay for Waiters and Waitresses in Dakota County, MN is $25,920 per year, which works out to $12.46 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area, the labor market that Dakota County, MN belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $31,300, which is 20.8% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 25,620 people working in this occupation across the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Dakota County, MN has roughly 445,771 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Waiters and Waitresses in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $23,260 a year ($11.18 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $43,280 or more ($20.81 an hour). That is a gap of $20,020 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $23,650 at the 25th percentile and $33,120 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.9 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $12.46 an hour or $25,920 a year at the median for Dakota County, MN. Before any deductions, that is $2,160 a month, $997 every two weeks and $498 each week. After taxes the same job pays $10.74 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
How pay in Dakota County, MN compares
Compared with the Minnesota average
Pay for Waiters and Waitresses in Dakota County, MN is in line with the statewide figure: $25,920 locally against an employment-weighted Minnesota average of $25,793, a difference of only $127 (0.5%). Within Minnesota, Dakota County, MN already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Waiters and Waitresses is $33,856 across the contiguous United States. At $25,920, Dakota County, MN pays $7,936 less, which is 23.4% below that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Dakota County, MN
Among the 586 occupations with published wages in Dakota County, MN, Waiters and Waitresses ranks number 585 by median pay, ahead of about 0% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Financial Managers at $165,620 a year, which is $139,700 more than the median for Waiters and Waitresses.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Waiters and Waitresses earning the Dakota County, MN median of $25,920, they add up to $3,587. The result is $22,333 of take-home pay a year ($1,861 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $14 goes to taxes and $86 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 13.8%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $10,170. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 10% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $1,017, an effective 3.9% of gross pay, well below the 10% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $1,607 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $376. FICA totals $1,983, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in Minnesota
Minnesota income tax on this salary is $587 a year, or 2.3% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 58% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $49 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Dakota County, MN
IRS Statistics of Income data for Dakota County, MN show an average adjusted gross income of $99,291 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 13.3% across all filers. Filers in the $25,000 to under $50,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 5.6%, compared with the 3.9% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Dakota County, MN
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Dakota County, MN: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $22,333 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Dakota County, MN, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,427 a month ($17,124 a year), and at $1,734 for two bedrooms. For Waiters and Waitresses, a one-bedroom absorbs 76.7% of take-home pay and 66.1% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 13.3% of gross pay for Waiters and Waitresses in Dakota County, MN. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Minnesota residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,632 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $409, for $2,041 in total. Gasoline in Minnesota averages $3.15 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,458.
What is left over
The basics cost $24,059 a year in Dakota County, MN, but take-home pay for Waiters and Waitresses is $22,333. That is a shortfall of $1,726 a year, or $144 a month, before health care, transportation beyond fuel, debt or savings. Closing the gap would take roughly 161 extra paid hours a year at the take-home hourly rate of $10.74, or a second earner, a cheaper home or a roommate.
Can Waiters and Waitresses afford to live in Dakota County, MN?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $25,920 that ceiling is $648 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,427 is $779 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $27.44 an hour; the median for Waiters and Waitresses is $12.46, which is 55% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $10.74 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 30.7 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,734 a month means $867 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $6,720 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $4,994, which turns the shortfall into a surplus.
How fast you can save
With no monthly margin after the four basics, saving requires a change on one side of the ledger: higher pay than the $25,920 median, lower housing costs than the $1,427 one-bedroom rent, or a second income.
Frequently asked questions about Waiters and Waitresses pay in Dakota County, MN
How much do Waiters and Waitresses make per hour in Dakota County, MN?
The median is $12.46 per hour, based on $25,920 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $11.18 at the 10th percentile to $20.81 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Waiters and Waitresses take home after taxes in Dakota County, MN?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $25,920 becomes $22,333 a year. That is $1,861 a month, $859 every two weeks or $429 a week.
How much tax do Waiters and Waitresses pay in Dakota County, MN?
Total taxes are $3,587 a year, an effective rate of 13.8%: $1,017 federal income tax, $1,983 FICA and $587 Minnesota income tax.
Do Waiters and Waitresses earn more in Dakota County, MN than elsewhere in Minnesota?
It is about the same. The local median of $25,920 is within 0.5% of the Minnesota average of $25,793.
Can Waiters and Waitresses afford a one-bedroom apartment in Dakota County, MN?
A one-bedroom costs $1,427 a month against take-home pay of $1,861, which is 76.7% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $648 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Waiters and Waitresses in Dakota County, MN?
Nothing remains: the basics cost $24,059 a year, which is $1,726 more than take-home pay, a monthly shortfall of $144.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Dakota County, MN at the 30% guideline?
$27.44 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $17,124 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Waiters and Waitresses is $12.46.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the Minnesota rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.