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Waiters and Waitresses pay in Hawaii and Massachusetts
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Waiters and Waitresses is $62,390 per year in Hawaii. It is $38,460 per year in Massachusetts. Hawaii is 62.2% above Massachusetts on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 35-3031 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 14,090 wage and salary jobs in Hawaii and 54,670 in Massachusetts. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings