Bartender Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Bartenders earn a median of $34,340 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 33% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $16.51/hr. The middle half earn between $27,400 and $47,570. The top 10% earn $73,770 or more.

The median hourly wage for bartenders is $16.51 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $34,340 annual median works out to about $2,860 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of bartenders earn less than $20,110 a year and the bottom quarter less than $27,400 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

Rarely. Even the 90th percentile is $73,770, so fewer than 10% of bartenders earn $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No state's median reaches $100,000; the highest is Hawaii at $76,490.

The highest state medians for Bartenders are Hawaii ($76,490), U.S. Virgin Islands ($61,380), New York ($61,210) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

BLS does not split bartenders' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $73,770, against a median of $34,340 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are Hawaii ($76,490), U.S. Virgin Islands ($61,380), New York ($61,210).

No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Bartenders, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as some preparation. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 43.0% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for bartenders is no formal educational credential. Once hired, BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical. O*NET classes the work as needing some preparation.

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.0% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 121,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Bartenders mix drinks and serve them directly to customers or through wait staff. A core O*NET task: check identification of customers to verify age requirements for purchase of alcohol. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Web page creation and editing software.

Most work fewer than 40. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 0% of bartenders usually work more than 40 hours a week, 20% work exactly 40 and 80% work fewer. 98% say their schedule is regular and 1% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Bartenders highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Not a state license. No state licenses bartenders as an occupation. What varies is the alcohol server permit or training requirement, and it attaches to the act of serving alcohol rather than to the job title, so it applies equally to servers, cashiers and managers. Washington requires a Mandatory Alcohol Server Training permit by law for anyone who serves, mixes, sells or supervises the sale of alcohol for on-premises consumption: a Class 12 permit for those 21 and over, a Class 13 for 18 to 20 year olds, valid five years and not renewable, with a criminal citation for working without one. Oregon requires an Alcohol Service Permit, obtained through an application, an alcohol server education class and a permit test. California has required Responsible Beverage Service training from an authorized provider plus a passing score on the ABC Alcohol Server Certification Exam since 1 July 2022, taken within 30 days of training and within 60 days of a server's first date of employment, with certification valid three years. Texas, by contrast, only strongly recommends TABC seller/server certification, although many retailers hire only certified staff because of the safe harbour it can give the employer under the Alcoholic Beverage Code. Localities can impose their own requirements on top. BLS notes that most states require workers who serve alcoholic beverages to be at least 18, and that depending on the state and locality a server, owner, manager or business may need a license to sell alcohol.

Women make up 57.2% of bartenders, against 47.1% of all employed people: more women than in the workforce as a whole. Only 10.6% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs): a young workforce, with 18.5% under 25. The median worker is 34.6 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.