Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 35-9031 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$31,200
$15.00/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop is $31,200 per year ($15.00/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $27,560 and $36,254 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $43,992 per year. There are approximately 432,690 hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Welcome patrons, seat them at tables or in lounge, and help ensure quality of facilities and service.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-1.5%
Slower than average
Annual openings
108K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
430K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Restaurants and Other Eating Places
NAICS 722500
377K
$31,200
Traveler Accommodation
NAICS 721100
20K
$35,580
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
NAICS 722400
8K
$31,200
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries
NAICS 713900
7K
$32,220
Special Food Services
NAICS 722300
6K
$35,360
Wage range across top 5 industries: $31,200 to $35,580 (14% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$10.74
$22,339
P25
$13.25
$27,560
P50MEDIAN
$15.00
$31,200
P75
$17.43
$36,254
P90
$21.15
$43,992
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · retail sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.6%
Quits Rate
3.1%
Retail openings rose to 737K (+52K) in March, rate up to 4.6%. Hires increased to 684K (+73K). Frontline turnover persists with quit rate at 3.1%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop salary?
The national median salary for Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop is $31,200 per year ($15.00/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $27,560 and $36,254 annually.
How much do top-earning hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop make?
The 90th percentile salary for Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop is $43,992 per year ($21.15/hr). The 75th percentile is $36,254 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop?
Entry-level Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop (10th percentile) earn approximately $22,339 per year ($10.74/hr). The 25th percentile is $27,560 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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