SOC 35-3041 · Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant Salary in Tampa, FL

The average salary for food servers, nonrestaurant in Tampa, Florida is $34,730 a year ($16.70 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $34,480: half of the 2,470 people in this job in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 4% less than the U.S. average for this job ($36,140).

$34,730average per year

$16.70 / hourMedian $34,480Take-home ≈ $30,086

  • $29K10th
  • $31K25th
  • $34KMedian
  • $36K75th
  • $38K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

2,470people in this job
-4%vs U.S. average
#4 of 19Florida metros
101cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Food Servers, Nonrestaurant pay range in Tampa

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $29,100 a year or less, while the top 10% make $37,570 or more. The middle half of food servers, nonrestaurant in Tampa earn between $31,200 and $35,910.

  • $29K10th
  • $31K25th
  • $34KMedian
  • $36K75th
  • $38K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$34,730$2,894$16.70
Median$34,480$2,873$16.58
Entry level (25th percentile)$31,200$2,600$15.00
Experienced (75th percentile)$35,910$2,992$17.26

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant pay in Tampa vs. Florida and the U.S.

Food servers, nonrestaurant in Tampa earn about the same as the Florida average ($34,530) and 4% less than the U.S. average ($36,140). At the median the gap is -2% against the U.S. median of $35,360.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Tampa$34,730$34,480$29,100$37,5702,470
Florida$34,530$33,930$29,210$39,00019,240
United States$36,140$35,360$28,030$46,120293,900

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary after taxes in Tampa

On the average salary of $34,730, a single filer in Tampa takes home about $30,086 a year, or $2,507 a month and $1,157 every two weeks. Taxes take 13% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.

Florida paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Tampa a good place for food servers, nonrestaurant? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Tampa area are in line with the U.S. average (BEA price parity 100.9), so the average $34,730 buys what about $34,424 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Tampa ($48,940). A typical home costs $360,738, or 10.4 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $34,730 is worth in another city

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary in other Florida cities

Tampa ranks 4th of 19 Florida metro areas for this job; Naples pays the most ($37,240).

All Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salaries in Florida

Highest-paying cities for food servers, nonrestaurant

Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($59,020).

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Food Servers, Nonrestaurant in Tampa, FL.

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant salary in Tampa: questions

How much do food servers, nonrestaurant make an hour in Tampa?

$16.70 an hour on average, and $16.58 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level food servers, nonrestaurant salary in Tampa?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $29,100 a year and the 25th percentile is $31,200, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the food servers, nonrestaurant take-home pay in Tampa?

About $30,086 a year ($2,507 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $34,730. Florida has no state income tax.

Do food servers, nonrestaurant earn more in Tampa than elsewhere?

The average here is 4% less than the U.S. average for this job ($36,140).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 35-3041; area Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (45300). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.0%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.90, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.

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