Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop Salary in Baltimore, MD
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area earn a median $34,320 a year — 10% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $28,490 take-home, or $2,374 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop salary in Baltimore, MD. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$1,938
- Social Security (6.2%)$2,128
- Medicare (1.45%)$498
- Maryland income tax$1,267
- Take-home pay$28,490
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.75% state
Living in Baltimore City? City residents also pay Baltimore City’s city income tax — about $889 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $27,601 ($2,300 a month). Choose “Baltimore City” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop pay by experience in Baltimore, MD
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $31,200 | $15.00 | $26,131 | $2,178 |
| 25th percentile | $31,840 | $15.31 | $26,615 | $2,218 |
| Median (50th) | $34,320 | $16.50 | $28,490 | $2,374 |
| 75th percentile | $35,440 | $17.04 | $29,336 | $2,445 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $36,740 | $17.66 | $30,319 | $2,527 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Maryland resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $34,320 buys in Baltimore, MD
Prices in Baltimore, MD are 4.5% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.18× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop's $28,490 take-home pay has the buying power of $27,266 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop jobs are about as common in Baltimore, MD as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.95).
Best-paying cities for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop, adjusted for cost of living
Baltimore, MD ranks #11 of 37 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland, OR | $43,410 | $34,091 | $32,338 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $38,430 | $33,059 | $29,747 |
| 3 | Denver, CO | $36,340 | $30,489 | $28,822 |
| 4 | Phoenix, AZ | $35,080 | $29,699 | $28,745 |
| 5 | San Francisco, CA | $39,810 | $33,068 | $28,602 |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | $32,950 | $28,655 | $28,594 |
| 7 | St. Louis, MO | $31,200 | $26,720 | $28,100 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | $36,360 | $30,380 | $27,901 |
| 11 | Baltimore, MD | $34,320 | $28,490 | $27,266 |
*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 37 metros →
About the job: hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
Welcome patrons, seat them at tables or in lounge, and help ensure quality of facilities and service.
- Typical education
- No formal educational credential
- Work experience
- None required
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Job outlook, 2025–35
- +3.4% (about average)
Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop make in Baltimore, MD?
The median hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop salary in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area is $34,320 a year, or about $16.50 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $31,840 and $35,440.
What is a hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop’s take-home pay in Baltimore, MD?
On the median $34,320 salary, a single filer living in Maryland takes home about $28,490 a year ($2,374 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,267 in Maryland taxes in 2026.
Is Baltimore, MD a good place to work as a hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop?
Pay here is 10% above the national median of $31,200. Local prices are 4.5% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $27,266 would in a typical U.S. city. Baltimore, MD ranks #11 of 37 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop afford rent in Baltimore, MD?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Baltimore, MD is $1,511 a month ($1,857 for two bedrooms) — 64% of a median hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
Related jobs in Baltimore, MD
- First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers — $38,760
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper — $37,540
- Cooks, Restaurant — $37,420
- Bartender — $37,360
- Waiter and Waitress — $36,170
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant — $35,710
- Food Preparation Worker — $35,080
- Cooks, Fast Food — $33,290
- Dishwasher — $33,280
- Fast Food and Counter Worker — $33,090