Restaurant Associate Salary
$17.5K - $21.5K
10% of jobs
$21.5K - $25.5K
7% of jobs
$26.4K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$25.5K - $29.5K
38% of jobs
$33.1K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$29.5K - $33.5K
23% of jobs
$33.5K - $37.5K
10% of jobs
$37.5K - $41.5K
3% of jobs
$41.5K - $45.5K
2% of jobs
$45.5K - $49.5K
1% of jobs
$49.5K - $53.5K
2% of jobs
$53.5K - $57.5K
3% of jobs
$57.5K - $61.5K
3% of jobs
$17.5K
$28K
$59K
$32,022
/year
$15.40
/hour
Restaurant Associate Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$32,022
Columbus
Ohio
$30,930
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How much does a Restaurant Associate make?
As of Aug 7, 2026, the average annual pay for a Restaurant Associate in the United States is $32,022 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $15.40 an hour. This is the equivalent of $615/week or $2,668/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $59,000 and as low as $17,500, the majority of Restaurant Associate salaries currently range between $26,000 (25th percentile) to $32,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $52,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Restaurant Associate varies greatly (by as much as 6500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Restaurant Associate in your area makes on average $30,930 per year, or $1,092 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $32,022. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Restaurant Associate salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Restaurant Associate jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Restaurant Associate on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Restaurant Associate Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Restaurant Associate job is above the national average. Topping the list is Pennington County, SD, , with Hopkinton, MA, and Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, beats the national average by $19,790 (61.8%), and Pennington County, SD, furthers that trend with another $20,369 (63.6%) above the $32,022 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Restaurant Associate appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 6% between Pennington County, SD, and Minneapolis, MN, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Restaurant Associate role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Pennington County, SD | $52,391 | $25.19 |
Hopkinton, MA | $51,937 | $24.97 |
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA | $51,812 | $24.91 |
Burbank, CA | $51,427 | $24.72 |
Ladera Ranch, CA | $50,913 | $24.48 |
Lawrence, NY | $50,870 | $24.46 |
Maynard, MA | $50,666 | $24.36 |
Marlborough, MA | $49,700 | $23.89 |
Chino, CA | $49,541 | $23.82 |
Minneapolis, MN | $49,268 | $23.69 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Restaurant Associate Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Restaurant Associate category.
For example Recipe Development jobs pay as much as $21,396 (66.8%) more than the average Restaurant Associate salary of $32,022. If you're qualified, finding work as a Recipe Development may help you make more money than that of the average Restaurant Associate position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Recipe Development | $53,418 | $25.68 |
Coffee Sommelier | $43,449 | $20.89 |
Food Expo | $33,769 | $16.24 |
Summer House | $33,041 | $15.89 |
Union Dishwasher | $30,016 | $14.43 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
