What’s the minimum wage for servers in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia at a glance

As of the U.S. Department of Labor table revised July 1, 2026. Your city may set a higher rate.

What’s different in District of Columbia

Instead of a flat tipped rate, the District ties the cash wage to a percentage. DOL’s footnote reads that employers must “currently” pay at least 56% of the standard minimum in cash. That word matters: the cash wage is tied to the minimum, so $10.30 is a snapshot, not a fixed number.

The standard minimum itself is adjusted every year on July 1, according to DOL. When it rises, the 56% cash floor rises with it. Check your rate each summer rather than assuming last year’s stub still holds.

Against the federal $2.13, a D.C. server’s guaranteed cash is in a different league. BLS listed the local median for waiters and waitresses at $23.01 an hour in May 2025, an employer-provided figure that includes reported tips, so use it as context only.

Example shift

Say you work 6 hours and walk out with $120 in tips (illustrative numbers; use your own).

1. Wages: $10.30 × 6 = $61.80.
2. With tips: $61.80 + $120 = $181.80, or $30.30 an hour.
3. If your tips for the week don’t bring you to $18.40 an hour, federal law says your employer has to make up the difference.

What servers earn: BLS estimates the median hourly wage for waiters and waitresses in District of Columbia was $23.01 in May 2025. BLS counts tips in this figure, but the numbers come from employers’ estimates, so they may not reflect all the tips servers receive.

Check your own week: Am I being paid at least minimum wage?