The U.S. had 745,610 bartender jobs in May 2024, with a national mean wage of $19.17 per hour and $39,880 per year. The detailed industry, state, and metropolitan figures below use May 2023 estimates, so they should not be read as 2024 values.
Table of contents
- National bartender employment and wages
- Bartenders in drinking places
- States with the largest bartender workforces
- States with the highest bartender concentration
- State wage levels
- Metropolitan areas with the largest workforces
- Metropolitan concentration and wage leaders
National bartender employment and wages
The latest national estimate in this set comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release for May 2024. It counted 745,610 bartenders across the United States. The national mean hourly wage was $19.17, corresponding to a mean annual wage of $39,880. These are descriptive occupational estimates for the measurement period, not guaranteed earnings for every bartender or establishment.
The previous detailed occupational table, measured in May 2023, provides a useful view of the wage distribution. The median bartender wage was $15.15 per hour. At the lower end, the 10th-percentile wage was $9.55 per hour. At the upper end, the 90th-percentile wage was $29.43 per hour, and the 90th-percentile annual wage was $61,210.
| National measure | Value | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| Bartender employment | 745,610 | May 2024 |
| Mean hourly wage | $19.17 | May 2024 |
| Mean annual wage | $39,880 | May 2024 |
| Median hourly wage | $15.15 | May 2023 |
| 10th-percentile hourly wage | $9.55 | May 2023 |
| 90th-percentile hourly wage | $29.43 | May 2023 |
| 90th-percentile annual wage | $61,210 | May 2023 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wages—May 2024 for the May 2024 national figures; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 35-3011 Bartenders for the May 2023 distribution.
Bartenders in drinking places
The May 2023 BLS industry table isolates Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages), the category most directly aligned with bars and similar drinking establishments. That industry employed 182,100 bartenders. Bartenders represented 44.21 percent of employment in the industry, indicating that bartending was a substantial part of the reported workforce mix.
Mean pay for bartenders in Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) was $16.64 per hour, or $34,620 per year, in May 2023. This industry-specific mean is lower than the May 2024 national bartender mean, but the periods and scopes differ: one is a May 2023 industry estimate, while the other is a May 2024 national occupational estimate.
The same May 2023 table shows how bartender employment is distributed across other industries. Restaurants and Other Eating Places employed 319,880 bartenders. Traveler Accommodation employed 43,530, Civic and Social Organizations employed 37,320, and Beverage Manufacturing employed 35,400.
These categories help put drinking-place employment in context. A bartender count is not automatically a count of bar employees alone; the occupation also appears in restaurants, lodging, organizations, and manufacturing-related settings.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 35-3011 Bartenders, May 2023.
States with the largest bartender workforces
California had the largest reported state bartender workforce in May 2023, with 77,230 jobs. Texas followed with 57,660, narrowly ahead of Florida at 57,400. New York had 35,100 bartender jobs, while Illinois had 33,730 and Pennsylvania had 33,320.
Wisconsin reported 27,660 bartender jobs, and Ohio reported 25,190. These totals describe the size of each state’s bartender workforce, not the share of all jobs held by bartenders. Large workforce totals can reflect a large overall labor market as well as demand for the occupation.
| State | Bartender jobs | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| California | 77,230 | May 2023 |
| Texas | 57,660 | May 2023 |
| Florida | 57,400 | May 2023 |
| New York | 35,100 | May 2023 |
| Illinois | 33,730 | May 2023 |
| Pennsylvania | 33,320 | May 2023 |
| Wisconsin | 27,660 | May 2023 |
| Ohio | 25,190 | May 2023 |
For operators comparing recruiting markets, these figures answer a scale question: where are the largest pools of bartender jobs? They do not, by themselves, show whether a local market has the highest bartender intensity or the highest pay.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 35-3011 Bartenders, May 2023.
States with the highest bartender concentration
Employment concentration provides a different view from total jobs. The BLS location quotient compares an area’s occupational concentration with the national average. A location quotient above 1 indicates a higher concentration than the national benchmark; it is not a wage measure.
Montana had 10.83 bartenders per 1,000 jobs and a bartender location quotient of 2.31 in May 2023. Nevada had 10.61 bartenders per 1,000 jobs, with a location quotient of 2.27. North Dakota had 10.46 bartenders per 1,000 jobs and a location quotient of 2.23.
Wisconsin combined a large workforce with a high concentration: it had 9.58 bartenders per 1,000 jobs and a location quotient of 2.05. The comparison shows why workforce size and occupational intensity should be considered separately. Wisconsin appears in both measures, while the concentration leaders are not necessarily the largest states by total bartender jobs.
| State | Bartenders per 1,000 jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|
| Montana | 10.83 | 2.31 |
| Nevada | 10.61 | 2.27 |
| North Dakota | 10.46 | 2.23 |
| Wisconsin | 9.58 | 2.05 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 35-3011 Bartenders, May 2023.
State wage levels
The highest state and district mean wages in the supplied May 2023 estimates were reported in the District of Columbia, Washington, New York, and Hawaii. The District of Columbia had a mean bartender wage of $28.78 per hour and $59,850 per year. Washington’s mean was $27.74 per hour and $57,710 per year.
New York had a mean bartender wage of $26.99 per hour and a mean annual wage of $56,140. Hawaii reported $25.07 per hour and $52,140 per year. These are mean estimates for the occupation in each geography, not individual guarantees and not necessarily pay limited to Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages).
| Geography | Mean hourly wage | Mean annual wage | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $28.78 | $59,850 | May 2023 |
| Washington | $27.74 | $57,710 | May 2023 |
| New York | $26.99 | $56,140 | May 2023 |
| Hawaii | $25.07 | $52,140 | May 2023 |
For bar-management planning, the distinction between mean and median matters. The May 2023 national median was $15.15 per hour, while the state figures above are means. A mean can be affected by the mix of jobs and earnings within a geography, so it should not be treated as the typical wage without a matching median.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 35-3011 Bartenders, May 2023.
Metropolitan areas with the largest workforces
At the metropolitan level, the New York-Newark-Jersey City area had 31,670 bartender jobs in May 2023. The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area had 23,080, and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim had 22,530.
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington had 18,510 bartender jobs. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach had 14,410, followed closely by Boston-Cambridge-Nashua at 14,240. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land had 13,510, while San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward had 13,310.
| Metropolitan area | Bartender jobs | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | 31,670 | May 2023 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 23,080 | May 2023 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 22,530 | May 2023 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 18,510 | May 2023 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | 14,410 | May 2023 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua | 14,240 | May 2023 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 13,510 | May 2023 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward | 13,310 | May 2023 |
These metropolitan totals are useful for understanding the largest urban employment markets. They do not rank areas by concentration, and they do not identify the number of jobs specifically inside drinking establishments.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 35-3011 Bartenders, May 2023.
Metropolitan concentration and wage leaders
The strongest metropolitan bartender concentration in the supplied May 2023 figures was in Ocean City, New Jersey, with a location quotient of 3.31. Atlantic City-Hammonton, New Jersey, followed at 3.21. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise had a location quotient of 2.53, and Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina had a location quotient of 2.23.
The wage leaders in the listed metropolitan estimates were different from the concentration leaders. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue had a mean annual bartender wage of $61,620. Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina reported $60,270, New York-Newark-Jersey City reported $58,050, and Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale reported $52,430.
| Metropolitan area | Location quotient or mean annual wage | Measure | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean City, New Jersey | 3.31 | Location quotient | May 2023 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, New Jersey | 3.21 | Location quotient | May 2023 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise | 2.53 | Location quotient | May 2023 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina | 2.23 | Location quotient | May 2023 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | $61,620 | Mean annual wage | May 2023 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina | $60,270 | Mean annual wage | May 2023 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $58,050 | Mean annual wage | May 2023 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale | $52,430 | Mean annual wage | May 2023 |
The two measures answer different management questions. A high location quotient identifies an area where bartender employment is especially concentrated relative to all jobs. A high mean annual wage identifies a higher estimated average pay level. Neither measure alone describes hiring difficulty, turnover, tips, or the operating performance of an individual bar.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 35-3011 Bartenders, May 2023.