SalaryExplorer

SOC 35-3041 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant — Terre Haute

Terre Haute, IN · 9 metro areas compared

$33,400 /year
$16.06per hour
120jobs in area
−5.5%vs US median

The median wage here is $33,400 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $35,360.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $35,36010TH$24,64025TH$30,340MEDIAN$33,40090TH$36,500

How pay has moved

$36,208$19,3632019202020212022202320242025$33,400
$22,590 in 2019 to $33,400 in 2025, +47.9% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+3.0%
Openings per year
48,000
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Terre Haute, IN.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage here is $33,400 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $35,360. Half of workers earn between $30,340 and $36,500. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $24,640 and the ninetieth at $36,500.

The area has 120 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.00 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Fort Wayne leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $35,190. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 244th of 278 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Terre Haute, IN · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$24,640−30.3%
25th$30,340−14.2%
Median (50th)$33,400−5.5%
75th$36,500+3.2%
90th$36,500+3.2%
Mean$32,920−6.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Indiana

Median annual wage for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Fort Wayne$35,190440
2Elkhart$34,630130
3Kokomo$32,86080
4Columbus$32,34040
5Indianapolis$31,9601,360
6Muncie$30,51070
7Evansville$30,360120
8Lafayette$29,990140
9South Bend$29,800210

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Terre Haute run 12.2% below the national average, so the median of $33,400 goes as far as $38,041 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 7.6% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$33,400as reported by BLS

Local price level

87.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$38,041US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $33,400 a year, 5.5% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $24,640 to $36,500 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 120 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Fort Wayne, at $35,190.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant in Terre Haute, IN?

The median annual wage is $33,400, or $16.06 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $35,360, so pay in Terre Haute, IN is 5.5% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Terre Haute, IN earns more than $36,500 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $24,640 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Fort Wayne, at $35,190 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 120 jobs in this occupation in Terre Haute, IN. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant Salary in Terre Haute, IN (2025): $33,400 Median | Salary Explorer