What Waiters and Waitresses earn in York County, SC
The median pay for Waiters and Waitresses in York County, SC is $36,430 per year, which works out to $17.51 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area, the labor market that York County, SC 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 $40,850, which is 12.1% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 19,990 people working in this occupation across the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. York County, SC has roughly 293,673 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $18,100 a year ($8.70 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $74,440 or more ($35.79 an hour). That is a gap of $56,340 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $21,030 at the 25th percentile and $57,580 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 4.1 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: $17.51 an hour or $36,430 a year at the median for York County, SC. Before any deductions, that is $3,036 a month, $1,401 every two weeks and $701 each week. After taxes the same job pays $14.78 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Waiters and Waitresses
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Waiters and Waitresses this way: "Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages"; "Collect payments from customers"; "Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff"; "Take orders from patrons for food or beverages".
Job outlook for Waiters and Waitresses
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 2,284,400 jobs in 2025 to 2,330,900 in 2035, a change of +2%, slower than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 423,100 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 18.5% of current employment each year.
Typical entry-level education: no formal educational credential. Typical on-the-job training to reach competency: short-term on-the-job training. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $35,230 for this occupation; the York County, SC median of $36,430 is 3.4% above it.
How pay in York County, SC compares
Compared with the South Carolina average
A worker in this occupation in York County, SC earns $12,428 more than the South Carolina average of $24,002, a premium of 51.8%. Over a year that premium is worth $12,428 before tax and roughly $10,490 after tax. Within South Carolina, York County, SC 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 $36,430, York County, SC pays $2,574 more, which is 7.6% above 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 York County, SC
Among the 583 occupations with published wages in York County, SC, Waiters and Waitresses ranks number 536 by median pay, ahead of about 8% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Computer and Information Systems Managers at $176,840 a year, which is $140,410 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 York County, SC median of $36,430, they add up to $5,681. The result is $30,749 of take-home pay a year ($2,562 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $16 goes to taxes and $84 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 15.6%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $20,680. 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 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $2,243, an effective 6.2% of gross pay, well below the 12% 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 $2,259 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $528. FICA totals $2,787, which is 7.7% of gross pay.
State income tax in South Carolina
South Carolina income tax on this salary is $651 a year, or 1.8% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 29% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $54 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 York County, SC
IRS Statistics of Income data for York County, SC show an average adjusted gross income of $93,034 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 13.0% across all filers. Filers in the $25,000 to under $50,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 5.0%, compared with the 6.2% 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 York County, SC
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in York County, SC: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $30,749 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For York County, SC, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,640 a month ($19,680 a year), and at $1,785 for two bedrooms. For Waiters and Waitresses, a one-bedroom absorbs 64.0% of take-home pay and 54.0% 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 9.4% of gross pay for Waiters and Waitresses in York County, SC. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using South Carolina residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,504 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $667, for $2,171 in total. Gasoline in South Carolina averages $2.99 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,385.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $26,672 a year in York County, SC. Subtract that from $30,749 of take-home pay and $4,077 remains, which is $340 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 11.2% of gross pay, a workable but modest cushion.
Local housing and commute data for York County, SC
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in York County, SC: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for York County, SC, set beside the South Carolina and national medians.
Property taxes in York County, SC
Homeowners in York County, SC pay a median of $1,740 a year in real estate taxes, 39% above the South Carolina median of $1,251 and 44% below the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $361,300, the median tax bill is 0.48% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Waiters and Waitresses median of $36,430, a tax bill of that size would equal 4.8% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in York County, SC
Renters in York County, SC pay a median gross rent of $1,387 a month in the Census survey, 18% above the South Carolina median of $1,180. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $1,640 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $361,300, 39% above the South Carolina median of $259,000. Median household income is $89,095, 29% above the South Carolina median of $69,324, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 22.1% of that income.
Commuting in York County, SC
Workers in York County, SC who travel to a workplace spend an average of 27.2 minutes each way, 6% above the South Carolina average of 25.6. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 4.5 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 17.5% of workers in York County, SC work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Waiters and Waitresses afford to live in York County, SC?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $36,430 that ceiling is $911 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,640 is $729 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $31.54 an hour; the median for Waiters and Waitresses is $17.51, which is 44% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $14.78 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 25.6 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,785 a month means $893 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $8,970 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $13,047.
How fast you can save
At $340 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 30 months (2.5 years). Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 60 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Waiters and Waitresses pay in York County, SC
How much do Waiters and Waitresses make per hour in York County, SC?
The median is $17.51 per hour, based on $36,430 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $8.70 at the 10th percentile to $35.79 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Waiters and Waitresses take home after taxes in York County, SC?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $36,430 becomes $30,749 a year. That is $2,562 a month, $1,183 every two weeks or $591 a week.
How much tax do Waiters and Waitresses pay in York County, SC?
Total taxes are $5,681 a year, an effective rate of 15.6%: $2,243 federal income tax, $2,787 FICA and $651 South Carolina income tax.
Do Waiters and Waitresses earn more in York County, SC than elsewhere in South Carolina?
Yes. The local median of $36,430 is +51.8% versus the South Carolina average of $24,002, a difference of $12,428 a year.
Can Waiters and Waitresses afford a one-bedroom apartment in York County, SC?
A one-bedroom costs $1,640 a month against take-home pay of $2,562, which is 64.0% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $911 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Waiters and Waitresses in York County, SC?
About $340 a month ($4,077 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $26,672 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in York County, SC at the 30% guideline?
$31.54 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $19,680 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Waiters and Waitresses is $17.51.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 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 South Carolina 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.