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Waiters and Waitresses: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Waiters and Waitresses, trained competency-based, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for Waiter (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Waiter | 4023 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What waiters and waitresses earn, by state
Hawaii has the highest state median for waiters and waitresses ($62,390) and Louisiana the lowest ($15,080), across the 54 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $62,390 | $29.99 | 14,090 |
| Vermont | $59,140 | $28.43 | 4,040 |
| Washington | $56,130 | $26.98 | 45,400 |
| Oregon | $48,410 | $23.27 | 23,040 |
| District of Columbia | $47,850 | $23.01 | 11,530 |
| New York | $47,020 | $22.61 | 142,940 |
| New Jersey | $44,960 | $21.62 | 55,800 |
| Colorado | $44,860 | $21.57 | 40,680 |
| Virginia | $44,760 | $21.52 | 59,370 |
| Arizona | $43,950 | $21.13 | 55,950 |
| Maine | $43,370 | $20.85 | 9,090 |
| Massachusetts | $38,460 | $18.49 | 54,670 |
| New Hampshire | $38,430 | $18.48 | 10,030 |
| Connecticut | $37,770 | $18.16 | 22,370 |
| Michigan | $37,760 | $18.16 | 65,090 |
| New Mexico | $36,920 | $17.75 | 12,740 |
| Delaware | $36,880 | $17.73 | 7,580 |
| Maryland | $36,750 | $17.67 | 38,120 |
| Ohio | $36,700 | $17.65 | 77,250 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $36,340 | $17.47 | 690 |
| Florida | $36,150 | $17.38 | 207,180 |
| Kansas | $36,120 | $17.36 | 19,480 |
| California | $36,080 | $17.35 | 229,970 |
| Rhode Island | $35,420 | $17.03 | 10,160 |
| West Virginia | $35,380 | $17.01 | 8,600 |
| Pennsylvania | $34,690 | $16.68 | 82,300 |
| Nebraska | $33,770 | $16.24 | 13,310 |
| North Carolina | $32,150 | $15.46 | 71,940 |
| Illinois | $31,200 | $15.00 | 72,900 |
| Utah | $31,150 | $14.98 | 17,790 |
| North Dakota | $30,890 | $14.85 | 5,250 |
| Idaho | $30,050 | $14.45 | 10,950 |
| Wisconsin | $29,670 | $14.26 | 36,220 |
| Kentucky | $29,660 | $14.26 | 27,150 |
| Missouri | $29,400 | $14.13 | 41,640 |
| South Dakota | $28,990 | $13.94 | 7,350 |
| Indiana | $28,480 | $13.69 | 43,620 |
| Tennessee | $27,760 | $13.35 | 52,120 |
| Alabama | $26,840 | $12.91 | 28,760 |
| Nevada | $26,410 | $12.70 | 42,520 |
| Alaska | $26,310 | $12.65 | 3,830 |
| Minnesota | $25,470 | $12.25 | 37,630 |
| Arkansas | $24,680 | $11.86 | 17,880 |
| Wyoming | $23,920 | $11.50 | 3,620 |
| Montana | $23,370 | $11.23 | 7,200 |
| Texas | $23,240 | $11.18 | 199,610 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,790 | $10.96 | 12,260 |
| Mississippi | $21,370 | $10.27 | 15,190 |
| Iowa | $21,000 | $10.10 | 22,410 |
| Guam | $20,320 | $9.77 | 1,550 |
| Georgia | $18,700 | $8.99 | 76,470 |
| South Carolina | $18,370 | $8.83 | 47,200 |
| Oklahoma | $17,910 | $8.61 | 27,000 |
| Louisiana | $15,080 | $7.25 | 33,870 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).