Bartenders
Bartenders is a dynamic career path with diverse opportunities. While facing some shifts, the field is adapting to changes in the job market. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Bartenders workforce.
Employment Over Time
69,790 Workforce in 2023
The Bartenders workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Bartenders.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$47,051 Average Wage
In 2023, Bartenders earned an average of $47,051.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Bartenders.
Salary distribution for Bartenders.
Employment Growth Projections
2.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
315,140 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 13.2%
356,728 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 28.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Bartenders.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Bartenders and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Bartenders employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Bartenders.
Wage Trends by Industry
9.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Bartenders.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Bartenders.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 65,730 employees, $47,319 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Bartenders.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 14,400 employees, $45,047 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 8,630 employees, $47,421 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 6,410 employees, $49,107 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 6,350 employees, $51,791 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 6,200 employees, $45,374 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 5,260 employees, $44,480 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 4,650 employees, $49,969 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 3,410 employees, $51,298 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 1,260 employees, $46,804 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 1,240 employees, $46,135 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Bartenders.
Diversity
Demographic information on Bartenders in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Bartenders in 2023 was 69,790 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Bartenders.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Bartenders.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Bartenders.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Bartenders in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Bartenders.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Bartenders workers.
Education level distribution for Bartenders.
Skills
Bartenders need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Bartenders.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Bartenders.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Bartenders include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Bartenders.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Bartenders include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Near Vision, Information Ordering.
Required abilities for Bartenders.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Bartenders.
Daily Activities
Bartenders spend their time on activities such as Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information, Getting Information, Training and Teaching Others.
Most important work activities for Bartenders.
About
Bartenders
The average yearly wage for Bartenders was $47,051 in 2023.
SOC Code
35-3011 - Bartenders
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Bartenders reports an average salary of $47,051.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 69,790 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.