Bartender employment and wages vary substantially by industry and location. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counted 762,600 bartender jobs in 2025 and reported a May 2025 median hourly wage of $16.51. Earlier BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) estimates counted 745,610 jobs in May 2024, with a $19.17 mean hourly wage and a $16.12 median.
Contents
- U.S. employment and wage benchmarks
- Wages by employing industry
- State employment scale and concentration
- Highest-paying states
- Metro and nonmetro employment
- Employment outlook and openings
U.S. employment and wage benchmarks
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reported that bartenders held about 762,600 jobs in 2025. That figure is the current employment level in the handbook’s occupational profile. It should not be combined as though it were measured in the same year as the May 2024 OEWS estimate: the two BLS products use different reference periods.
The May 2024 OEWS estimate placed U.S. bartender employment at 745,610 jobs. For that same May 2024 measurement, OEWS reported a national mean wage of $19.17 per hour and $39,880 per year. The national median was $16.12 per hour. These are employer-reported, cross-industry estimates, and the OEWS figures exclude self-employed workers. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wages News Release — 2024 A01 Results.
The newer BLS handbook gives a May 2025 median hourly wage of $16.51. BLS wage data in the handbook include tips, an important qualification for interpreting bartender compensation. A median identifies the middle of the wage distribution; it is not a promise that every bartender earns that amount, nor does it describe a guaranteed annual salary. Source: BLS Bartenders: Occupational Outlook Handbook.
The gap between the May 2024 mean of $19.17 and median of $16.12 also shows why both measures matter. The mean is pulled upward by higher-paid observations, while the median describes the midpoint. The figures are different measures from May 2024, not competing estimates of an individual bartender’s pay.
Wages by employing industry
The 2025 BLS occupational profile shows where bartenders worked and how median hourly wages differed across major employing industries. Full-service restaurants employed 41% of bartenders, the largest listed share. Drinking places serving alcoholic beverages employed 25%, traveler accommodation employed 7%, amusement, gambling, and recreation industries employed 6%, and civic and social organizations employed 5%.
The industry wage figures below are May 2025 medians from the BLS profile. They provide a useful comparison of occupational pay across settings, but they do not establish that one employer, venue, or shift will pay the listed amount.
| Industry | Share of bartenders in 2025 | Median hourly wage, May 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Traveler accommodation | 7% | $17.57 |
| Full-service restaurants | 41% | $17.07 |
| Drinking places serving alcoholic beverages | 25% | $16.01 |
| Amusement, gambling, and recreation | 6% | $15.05 |
| Civic and social organizations | 5% | $13.65 |
Traveler accommodation had the highest listed industry median at $17.57 per hour. Full-service restaurants followed at $17.07. Drinking places serving alcoholic beverages had a $16.01 median, while amusement, gambling, and recreation had $15.05. Civic and social organizations had the lowest listed median, at $13.65 per hour. Source for employment shares and industry wages: BLS Bartenders: Occupational Outlook Handbook.
These industry categories also frame the scale of the occupation. The largest employment share was in full-service restaurants, while the highest listed median wage was in traveler accommodation. Employment size and wage level therefore do not move in the same order across the listed industries.
State employment scale and concentration
BLS geographic data for May 2023 show two different ways to view state labor markets: total bartender jobs and bartenders per 1,000 jobs. California had the highest employment among states, with 77,230 bartender jobs and 4.30 bartenders per 1,000 jobs. Texas had 57,660 jobs and 4.25 per 1,000. Florida had 57,400 jobs and 6.00 per 1,000.
New York had 35,100 bartender jobs and 3.74 bartenders per 1,000 jobs. Illinois had 33,730 jobs and 5.61 per 1,000. These figures illustrate why a large state employment total does not necessarily indicate the highest occupational concentration: California led in jobs, while Florida’s rate per 1,000 jobs was higher among these examples.
Several states had particularly high location quotients, a BLS measure of occupational concentration relative to the national pattern. Montana had the highest state location quotient in the supplied May 2023 profile, at 2.31. It had 10.83 bartenders per 1,000 jobs and 5,430 bartender jobs. Nevada had a 2.27 location quotient, 10.61 bartenders per 1,000 jobs, and 15,730 jobs. North Dakota had a 2.23 location quotient, 10.46 per 1,000, and 4,370 jobs.
Wisconsin had a 2.05 location quotient, 9.58 bartenders per 1,000 jobs, and 27,660 bartender jobs. South Dakota had a 1.78 location quotient, 8.32 per 1,000 jobs, and 3,700 jobs.
| State | Bartender jobs, May 2023 | Bartenders per 1,000 jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 5,430 | 10.83 | 2.31 |
| Nevada | 15,730 | 10.61 | 2.27 |
| North Dakota | 4,370 | 10.46 | 2.23 |
| Wisconsin | 27,660 | 9.58 | 2.05 |
| South Dakota | 3,700 | 8.32 | 1.78 |
Source for the state employment, concentration, and location-quotient figures: BLS Bartenders: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023. The BLS geographic profile presents selected employment, concentration, and wage entries; it is not a complete ranking of every state or area.
Highest-paying states
The same May 2023 BLS profile reported the highest published state mean wages for several locations. The District of Columbia had the highest listed mean, at $28.78 per hour or $59,850 annually, across 3,740 jobs. Washington had a $27.74 hourly mean and $57,710 annual mean across 15,730 jobs.
New York’s mean bartender wage was $26.99 per hour or $56,140 annually across 35,100 jobs. Hawaii had a $25.07 hourly mean and $52,140 annual mean across 3,500 jobs. Arizona had a $24.46 hourly mean and $50,870 annual mean across 13,330 jobs.
| Location | Jobs, May 2023 | Mean hourly wage | Mean annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 3,740 | $28.78 | $59,850 |
| Washington | 15,730 | $27.74 | $57,710 |
| New York | 35,100 | $26.99 | $56,140 |
| Hawaii | 3,500 | $25.07 | $52,140 |
| Arizona | 13,330 | $24.46 | $50,870 |
The annual amounts are BLS mean annual wages, not guaranteed salaries for individual workers. They should also be read alongside the employment counts: the District of Columbia’s high mean covered 3,740 jobs in the profile, while New York’s covered 35,100. Source: BLS Bartenders: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
Metro and nonmetro employment
May 2023 metropolitan data show large differences in both employment scale and mean hourly wage. The New York-Newark-Jersey City area had 31,670 bartender jobs, a $27.91 hourly mean, and a 0.71 location quotient. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin had 23,080 jobs, a $17.13 mean, and a 1.09 location quotient. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim had 22,530 jobs, a $19.27 mean, and a 0.78 location quotient.
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington had 18,510 jobs, an $18.31 mean, and a 1.00 location quotient. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach had 14,410 jobs, an $18.88 mean, and a 1.13 location quotient. Boston-Cambridge-Nashua had 14,240 jobs, a $19.10 mean, and a 1.10 location quotient.
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land had 13,510 jobs, a $15.53 mean, and a 0.91 location quotient. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward had 13,310 jobs, a $20.65 mean, and a 1.17 location quotient. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington had 13,000 jobs, a $16.87 mean, and a 0.98 location quotient. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise had 12,830 jobs, a $16.39 mean, and a 2.53 location quotient.
The selected nonmetropolitan areas also show meaningful employment and wage measurements. Western Washington had 920 jobs, a $24.05 mean hourly wage, and a 1.52 location quotient. Eastern Washington had 610 jobs, a $23.65 mean, and a 1.25 location quotient. Southern Vermont had 810 jobs, a $23.65 mean, and a 1.69 location quotient. Hawaii/Kauai had 650 jobs, a $23.30 mean, and a 1.37 location quotient. Central East New York had 1,120 jobs, a $23.23 mean, and a 1.52 location quotient.
The metropolitan and nonmetropolitan figures are May 2023 BLS estimates. They are geographic snapshots, so they should not be treated as current 2025 wages or as forecasts. Source: BLS Bartenders: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
Employment outlook and openings
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook projects bartender employment to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035. The projected 2035 employment level is 800,500 jobs, compared with the 2025 base used for the projections. The projected numeric increase is 37,900 jobs.
BLS projects about 121,200 bartender openings per year on average from 2025 to 2035. Openings are not the same as net new jobs: the outlook includes the occupation’s projected employment change and the need to fill positions as workers leave or move to other occupations.
The 5% projected growth rate for bartenders is above the 3% projected growth rate for all occupations over 2025–35. These numbers are forecasts, not observed employment. They describe the BLS projection period and should be kept separate from the May 2023 geographic wage data, the May 2024 OEWS national estimates, and the May 2025 handbook wage and employment figures. Source: BLS Bartenders: Occupational Outlook Handbook.