Turnover Cost: Waiters and Waitresses, California (2025)

Verified cost of employee turnover for the selected Waiters and Waitresses population in California, United States, drawn from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025-may).

Estimated cost of turnover

Waiters and Waitresses · California, United States

$22,300 – $89,200estimated range, 2025-may

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Estimated from a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics annual mean wage of $44,600 for Waiters and Waitresses in California, United States (2025-may), multiplied by the 0.5×–2× cost of replacing an employee reported by SHRM and Gallup. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the wage, not the cost — the range is a planning estimate, and a real figure depends on time-to-fill, ramp-up, and lost productivity.

How Waiters and Waitresses compares in California, United States

Annual mean wage — the input to the estimate above, compared directly rather than as a derived range. See all 33 industries.

  • Computer and Information Systems Managers
  • Restaurant Cooks
  • Waiters and Waitresses
  • Retail Salespersons
  • Home Health and Personal Care Aides

What this means

California's labor market sets the annual mean wage for Waiters and Waitresses at $44,600. The estimated replacement cost for one of these workers is $22,300 to $89,200, applying Gallup's research that shows turnover costs of 50% to 200% of annual salary. Your real cost will depend on how long it takes to fill the position, training length, and lost revenue during the vacancy.

Estimated cost of turnover: Waiters and Waitresses vs regional average

Estimated cost of turnover in California, United States, 2025-may. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
MeasureWaiters and WaitressesRegional average
Estimated cost of turnover$44,600$104,696

Related benchmarks

BenchmarkAccountants and Auditors, California, United StatesEstimated cost of turnover: $103,760 (2025-may).BenchmarkAssemblers and Fabricators, California, United StatesEstimated cost of turnover: $51,060 (2025-may).BenchmarkAutomotive Service Technicians and Mechanics, California, United StatesEstimated cost of turnover: $65,470 (2025-may).BenchmarkComputer Network Architects, California, United StatesEstimated cost of turnover: $161,350 (2025-may).