Waiters and Waitresses pay in Des Moines-West Des Moines
$27,240avg. a year
$13.09 an hour · 6,250 employed
Waiters and Waitresses in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area earn an average of $27,240 a year. That is about the same as the Iowa average of $26,940. The U.S. average is $40,060.
$20,410Median pay
$13.09Average hourly
+1%vs. Iowa average
6,250Jobs in this metro
Other Iowa metro areas
Average pay for waiters and waitresses in other Iowa metro areas. Swipe to see all 8.
17,620 jobs
Omaha, NE-IA
$39,620
$19.05 an hour
22,680 jobs
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
$29,950
$14.40 an hour
31,030 jobs
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
$29,280
$14.08 an hour
41,010 jobs
Ames, IA
$29,250
$14.06 an hour
51,890 jobs
Iowa City, IA
$27,750
$13.34 an hour
61,920 jobs
Cedar Rapids, IA
$27,490
$13.21 an hour
7810 jobs
Dubuque, IA
$26,530
$12.75 an hour
81,280 jobs
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
$26,300
$12.64 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
How Des Moines-West Des Moines compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroIowaU.S.
Iowa metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in Des Moines-West Des Moines
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $29,940 |
| Bartenders | $27,620 |
| Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | $32,910 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | $36,980 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $44,120 |
| Food Preparation Workers | $34,780 |
Questions and answers
How much do waiters and waitresses make in Des Moines-West Des Moines?
The average is $27,240 a year, and the median is $20,410. About 6,250 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the Iowa average?
That is about the same as the Iowa average of $26,940.
Is this job common in Des Moines-West Des Moines?
It makes up 15.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 1.06 times the national share.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, occupation code 35-3031. Metro area: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 19780). Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.