Waiter
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Waiter occupation series (code 7420).
The verdict
Waiter is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 10 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Food Preparation and Serving Family family. At an average salary of n/a it pays below the federal average of $117,339.
- Employees
- 10
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- n/a
- Avg tenure
- 25.6 yrs
FedScope read on Waiter (thin series)
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 10 people work in the Waiter occupation (OPM code 7420) across federal agencies, 0.0% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved sideways by 0.0% from the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend.
The average salary for Waiter is n/a per year. Salaries moved down by 0.0% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. Average length of service in this role is 25.6 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
The Food Preparation and Serving Family family (code 74) groups Waiter together with 5 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Waiter postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Food Preparation and Serving Family family.
Waiter makes up 0.1% of the 10,719 employees across the Food Preparation and Serving Family family, ranking #6 of 6 occupations in that family by headcount.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Waiter pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
n/a
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-100.0%
Where Waiter ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of n/a is higher than 0% of federal occupation series (0 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Waiter sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Waiter ranks higher than 0%.
Related Occupations in Food Preparation and Serving Family
5 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Service Working | 5,692 | $49,044 | 8.2 yrs |
| Cooking | 3,863 | $72,079 | 12.3 yrs |
| Meatcutting | 1,125 | n/a | 12.9 yrs |
| Baking | 16 | $63,987 | 21.6 yrs |
| Misc Food Preparation and Serving | 13 | n/a | 6.4 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Waiter outside the Food Preparation and Serving Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar thin headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (10 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families (n/a here).
Key takeaways
- Waiter pays below the federal average by 100.0% (n/a vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 0th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 10 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Waiter ranks #630 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Waiter makes up 0.1% of the 10,719 employees across the Food Preparation and Serving Family family, ranking #6 of 6 occupations in that family by headcount.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.