Labor Market Pulse

Waco, TX Metro Edition

Focus: RESTAURANT

Waco restaurant pay falls as local hospitality jobs stay scarce.

4.2%

Waco unemployment rate

vs 4.0% Texas, 4.1% national

$1,213

Waco avg weekly wage, Q1 2026

down $49 QoQ, up $19 YoY

-1.5% YoY

Texas hospitality employment

despite postings up 1.3% (Revelio/Callings)

-5.8% YoY

Waco manufacturing employment

down 8.1% quarter-over-quarter

This Month's Takeaways

01

Falling advertised pay doesn't mean hiring got easier.

Restaurant Manager/GM postings dropped to a $49,196 metro median even as Texas hospitality employment fell 1.5% year-over-year and 65% of operators statewide report understaffing. Treat posted-pay declines as a pricing lag, not proof that candidate supply improved.

02

Manufacturing's retreat may widen the FOH candidate pool.

Waco manufacturing contracted 8.1% quarter-over-quarter and 5.8% annually, a sector that competes directly with restaurants for hourly, shift-based labor. Displaced manufacturing workers entering food service could ease front-of-house sourcing pressure over the next hiring cycle, particularly for crew and server roles.

03

Crew and Server pay cuts outpace the metro's overall wage drift.

Crew advertised pay fell to $24,960 and Server to $28,981, both significant declines against a metro where average weekly wages are down only modestly year-over-year. Entry-level restaurant roles appear to be absorbing more pay correction than the broader labor market, raising retention risk if nearby retail or hospitality employers hold steadier rates.

04

Texas's frozen minimum wage is no longer the binding constraint.

Statutory minimum remains $7.25 with a $2.13 tipped floor, but DFW food-prep workers averaged $15.74/hour in 2025 — market rates, not statute, set the real floor. Waco operators should budget against regional market wages, not the state minimum, when forecasting labor cost as a share of revenue.

Local Labor Conditions

Waco's 4.2% unemployment rate and sluggish 0.8% annual job growth reflect a metro economy cooling in parallel with a 5.8% year-over-year manufacturing contraction, while Education and Health Services continues absorbing a disproportionate share of available labor at 27% of total employment. Average weekly wages fell $49 quarter-over-quarter even as Texas statewide private wages climbed 3.9% year-over-year, signaling Waco restaurant operators are competing for workers in a local market that is softening faster than the state as a whole.

Leadership & Talent Implications

Advertised pay compression across nearly every Waco restaurant role — General Manager down to $49,196 and Crew down to $24,960 — is unfolding against a backdrop of statewide hospitality employment actually declining 1.5% year-over-year despite rising job postings, a combination consistent with backfill-driven hiring rather than expansion. That gap between falling advertised pay and persistent understaffing (65% of Texas operators report being short-staffed) suggests postings may be lagging real market tightness rather than reflecting it. Consider benchmarking advertised rates against actual fill times and offer-acceptance data before assuming softer postings translate into easier hiring.

Advertised Pay Indicators

Role	P25	Median	P75	Local Trend	National	Nat. Trend
Assistant Restaurant Manager	$21,050	$30,614	$35,375	↓ Significant decline	$39,000	↓ Moderate decline
Catering Manager	$39,520	$47,801	$51,544	→ Stable	$50,960	→ Stable
Crew	$22,852	$24,960	$29,120	↓ Significant decline	$29,839	→ Stable
Line Cook	$28,080	$31,200	$33,280	→ Stable	$36,826	→ Stable
Restaurant Manager/General Manager	$45,326	$49,196	$54,750	↓ Significant decline	$59,618	↓ Moderate decline
Server	$24,960	$28,981	$31,895	↓ Moderate decline	$35,012	→ Stable
Shift Manager	$26,775	$30,129	$32,240	↓ Moderate decline	$32,731	→ Stable

Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days

Worth watching

Texas hospitality postings rose 1.3% even as employment fell 1.5%, a divergence suggesting elevated backfill turnover. Watch whether Waco's own advertised pay stabilizes or continues declining as operators test how much pay compression the candidate pool will tolerate.

Emerging pressure point

Manufacturing's 5.8% annual decline locally could release hourly workers into food service over the next two months, but only if wage expectations from manufacturing don't exceed what restaurant roles are advertising. A mismatch could leave postings unfilled despite rising applicant volume.

Potential inflection point

National job openings in accommodation and food services fell from 916,000 to 673,000 through July, suggesting the sector's hiring frenzy is cooling. If that national pattern reaches Waco, expect further softening in advertised pay for Crew and Shift Manager roles before quarter's end.

Expected

Waco's average weekly wage dropped $49 quarter-over-quarter in Q1 2026 after a run of increases. A second consecutive quarterly decline would support restructuring retention budgets around tenure-based incentives rather than entry-wage increases.

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