Bartenders Salary: $33,530 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 745,610 bartenders work nationally, and $33,530 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 10% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.5% annual growth.
Bartenders: what the data shows
Common questions about bartenders careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a bartenders?
Bartenders is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 35-3011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 745,610 workers.
What does a bartenders do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include 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, Handling and Moving Objects, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a bartenders make?
BLS national median annual wage: $33,530 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $47,051 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $34,288 |
| 25th percentile | $35,059 |
| Median (50th) | $36,921 |
| 75th percentile | $44,500 |
| 90th percentile | $82,048 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training, Sales and Marketing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is bartenders in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 13.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 28.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 745,610.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do bartenderss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 745,610 | 18.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 738,730 | 18.2% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 588,740 | 14.5% |
| Food Services and Drinking Places | 538,310 | 13.2% |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 334,410 | 8.2% |
| Full-Service Restaurants | 308,430 | 7.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Bartenders in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Bartenders workforce.
Employment Over Time
745,610 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Bartenders grew from 187,240 in 2009 to 278,400 in 2025 (48.7%).
Historical employment for Bartenders from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$33,530 Median pay (BLS national)
Bartenders earn $33,530 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 69,790 employees, $45,750 avg wage
- TX: 57,990 employees, $35,120 avg wage
- FL: 54,800 employees, $41,220 avg wage
- NY: 42,550 employees, $62,080 avg wage
- IL: 40,520 employees, $35,340 avg wage
- PA: 34,740 employees, $31,300 avg wage
- WI: 29,340 employees, $26,210 avg wage
- OH: 27,530 employees, $37,440 avg wage
- MN: 21,570 employees, $28,410 avg wage
- MA: 21,080 employees, $43,670 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Bartenders.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 37,530 employees, $63,960 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 27,310 employees, $36,130 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 20,810 employees, $45,020 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 18,290 employees, $38,710 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 15,700 employees, $44,600 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 15,110 employees, $56,630 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 14,300 employees, $36,920 avg wage
- Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV: 14,010 employees, $33,820 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 13,980 employees, $33,450 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 13,640 employees, $40,570 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Bartenders.
Diversity
Demographic information on Bartenders in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Bartenders is about 745,610 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Bartenders earn $33,530 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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 745,610 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.