Waiters and Waitresses
What Waiters and Waitresses Do
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 0.7%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.9/5
- English Languageimportance 3.6/5
- Sales and Marketingimportance 3.3/5
- Food Productionimportance 2.6/5
- Mathematicsimportance 2.6/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 2.5/5
- Psychologyimportance 2.4/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.4/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Contact With Others4.8/5
- Spend Time Standing4.7/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
- Spend Time Walking or Running4.5/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.5/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.3/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Receptionists and Information Clerks97% skill match
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop97% skill match
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners97% skill match
- Flight Attendants97% skill match
- Gambling Dealers97% skill match
- Fast Food and Counter Workers97% skill match
- Cashiers96% skill match
- Animal Caretakers96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Service Orientationimportance 3.9/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.4/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.8/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.8/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.8/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.6/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 2.3/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Blink
- Compris Advanced Manager's Workstation
- Compris software
- Hospitality Control Solutions Aloha Point-of-Sale
- Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale
- MICROS Systems HSI Profits Series
- NCR Advanced Checkout Solution
- NCR NeighborhoodPOS
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Social Orientation
- Cooperation
- Dependability
- Optimism
- Empathy
- Self-Control
- Stress Tolerance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- ConventionalMedium
- SocialMedium
- RealisticMedium
- EnterprisingMedium
- ArtisticLow
- InvestigativeLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where waiters and waitresses make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC2.99× national avg
- 2Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC2.84× national avg
- 3Naples-Marco Island, FL2.60× national avg
- 4Kahului-Wailuku, HI2.50× national avg
- 5Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ2.46× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Fast Food and Counter WorkersLateral Move
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee ShopLateral Move
- Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk ClerksCareer Change
- CashiersCareer Change