Hourly wage benchmarks
What should you be paying your team?
Pick an hourly role and a US metro to see what comparable employers actually pay. Built for small business owners and managers who staff hourly teams, across 50 hourly roles and 40 US metros, on BLS OEWS May 2025 data, plus a projection of where wages are heading in 2026.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS (May 2025) for metro and trend figures. The 2026 point is a projection, not a measurement. Tips are not included.
Metro figures: real May 2025 BLS OEWS, plus our projected May 2026 (the 2025 base carried forward by the role's industry trend). National trend: May 2022-2025 BLS plus a projected May 2026 point.
Cashier / United States (National)
Projection, not a measurement
The May 2025 BLS median for a Cashier in United States (National) is $15.81/hr. Our May 2026 projection for this metro is $16.66/hr, the May 2025 base carried forward by the Retail industry trend (+5.4% YoY).
Mean (average): $15.95/hr
Pay range: 10th to 90th percentile, with the typical 25th to 75th band highlighted. The solid tick is the May 2025 median; the open tick is the projected May 2026 median.
Cashier: national wages over time
Five points for the national median and mean, from May 2022 to a projected May 2026. The four solid points are BLS OEWS. The fifth point, marked May 2026*, is a projection, not a measurement.
| Year | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| May 2022 | $13.58 | $13.81 |
| May 2023 | $14.29 | $14.77 |
| May 2024 | $14.99 | $15.29 |
| May 2025 | $15.81 | $15.95 |
| May 2026* | $16.66 | $16.81 |
Cashier sits in the Retail tier and grew +5.4% year over year nationally.
BLS OEWS for May 2022-2025 and metro May 2025. The May 2026 point is a projection of the May 2025 base wage carried forward by recent per-industry wage-growth trends, not a measurement. Each metro now shows a projected May 2026 alongside its real May 2025 figures.
How to turn this into a pay decision
Type the hourly rate you are considering and see how it lands against what comparable employers pay a Cashier in United States (National).
Test an offer for Cashier in United States (National)
At market. Competitive with comparable employers nearby.
The 25th to 75th band is your normal range. For tipped roles, real take-home runs higher than the BLS base. Use the projected May 2026 point to budget next year's raises.
Where these numbers come from
We pair the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' published OEWS wage data with Homebase's own internal payroll data. The May 2022 through May 2025 figures are real BLS medians, means, and percentiles. The single May 2026 point is our projection: each role's 2025 base carried forward by the per-industry wage-growth trend we measure across Homebase payroll, applied to the national trend and to every metro. A direction, not a measurement.
Tips are not included, so tipped-role medians can read low next to real take-home. A few lower-confidence roles (hotel desk clerks, housekeepers, childcare workers, landscapers, lifeguards, meat cutters, security guards, janitors, and massage therapists) map to an industry tier as a proxy rather than a direct match. And because OEWS does not publish every role in every metro, some combinations show no estimate rather than a guessed number.
Why competitive pay matters
The wage you post is the first filter every applicant applies.
Sit below your local market and you wait longer for fewer candidates, while the people you already have start taking calls from the shop down the street. Competitive pay costs less than the turnover and the empty shifts that come with underpaying, and it is the difference between a role you fill this week and one that stays open.
Hourly wage questions, answered
How much should I pay a server per hour?
The national median hourly wage for servers is $16.94/hr as of May 2025 (BLS OEWS). Wages vary by location. Seattle servers earn $27.54/hr median, while servers in Southern metros with tip credit laws earn as little as $8 to $11/hr in base wages. BLS captures employer-reported base wages only; total earnings including tips are typically higher in full-service restaurants.
What is the average cashier hourly wage in the US?
The national median hourly wage for cashiers is $15.81/hr as of May 2025 (BLS OEWS), with a mean of $15.95/hr. Pay ranges from $11.79/hr (10th percentile) to $19.43/hr (90th percentile). Seattle cashiers earn $21.26/hr median, while Texas metro cashiers typically earn $14 to $14.50/hr.
How much do bartenders make per hour?
Bartenders earn a national median of $16.51/hr in base wages as of May 2025 (BLS OEWS). Total hourly earnings including tips are typically much higher. The top 25% of bartenders nationally earn over $22.87/hr in base wages alone. NYC and Seattle bartenders earn $27 to $30/hr median.
What is the average pay for a restaurant cook?
Restaurant cooks earn a national median of $17.98/hr as of May 2025 (BLS OEWS). Entry-level cooks start closer to $13.80/hr (10th percentile), while experienced cooks earn $21 to $23/hr. Head chefs earn a national median of $30.03/hr.
How much should I pay a barista or counter worker?
The national median hourly wage for baristas and counter workers is $15.00/hr as of May 2025 (BLS OEWS). Wages vary significantly by state minimum wage laws. Los Angeles baristas earn $20.24/hr median, Seattle baristas earn $18.82/hr, while baristas in many Southern metros earn $13 to $14/hr.
Do hourly wages vary by city?
Yes, significantly. For the same role, wages can differ by 50% to 100% between metros due to local minimum wage laws, cost of living, and tip credit rules. A server earns $27.54/hr median in Seattle vs. $8.88/hr in Atlanta. Even non-tipped roles show wide gaps: a janitor earns $22.38/hr median in Boston vs. $14.74/hr in Houston.
Are tips included in BLS server and bartender wages?
No. The BLS OEWS captures employer-reported wages. In tip-credit states, employers may report only the tipped minimum wage (as low as $2.13/hr federally). The BLS median for servers and bartenders reflects base wages only. Actual total compensation including tips is typically significantly higher in full-service restaurants.
What is a competitive hourly wage for a retail salesperson?
The national median for retail salespersons is $17.03/hr as of May 2025 (BLS OEWS), up 16% from $14.71/hr in 2022. To hire competitively, pay at or above your local metro's median. In high-cost markets like Seattle and San Francisco, competitive retail wages start at $20+/hr.
How much does a dishwasher make per hour?
Dishwashers earn a national median of $16.73/hr as of May 2025 (BLS OEWS), up sharply from $13.98/hr in 2022, a 20% increase in three years. Most dishwashers nationally earn between $14.27 and $18.00/hr.
How much does a chef or head cook make per hour?
Head chefs and head cooks earn a national median of $30.03/hr as of May 2025 (BLS OEWS), with top earners (90th percentile) making $47.39/hr. Seattle chefs earn the highest median of any major metro at $38.62/hr. Entry-level sous chefs and kitchen supervisors earn a national median of $21.19/hr.
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