Headline risk
26%
Moderate RiskWaiters and waitresses
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 33,760
Employment 2024
2329.7K
Projected Change (2024–34)
-0.7%
Openings (2024–34)
456.7K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Employment of waiters and waitresses is projected to grow 1 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff. AI use: 0%
- 2. Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems. AI use: 0%
- 3. Collect payments from customers. AI use: 0%
- 4. Take orders from patrons for food or beverages. AI use: 0%
- 5. Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning. AI use: 0%
- 6. Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 25.8 · 1.8M employed
Under 25: 50% · 25–54: 43% · 55+: 8%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
major_group_fallback · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Waiters and waitresses take orders and serve food and beverages to customers in dining establishments.
Waiters and waitresses work in restaurants, bars, hotels, and other food-serving and drinking establishments. Part-time work is common, and schedules may vary to include early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Waiters and waitresses typically do not need formal education to enter the occupation. They are typically trained on the job.
The median hourly wage for waiters and waitresses was $16.23 in May 2024.
Employment of waiters and waitresses is projected to grow 1 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.