Fast Food and Counter Workers
Median $31,200
Occupation · SOC 35-3011
Bartenders: pay and where the jobs are
What bartenders earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$34,340 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $40,790
- Median hourly wage
- $16.51
- Mean hourly wage
- $19.61
- Employment
- 756,390
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 35-3011.
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How much do bartenders make?
The median annual wage for bartenders was $34,340 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $20,110 and the highest-paid 10% more than $73,770. As an hourly rate, the median is $16.51. About 756,390 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Hawaii ($76,490), New York ($61,210) and Washington ($55,830). Hawaii also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for bartenders looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20,110 | $9.67 | $1,676 | $1,514 |
| 25th percentile | $27,400 | $13.17 | $2,283 | $2,014 |
| Median | $34,340 | $16.51 | $2,862 | $2,481 |
| 75th percentile | $47,570 | $22.87 | $3,964 | $3,367 |
| 90th percentile | $73,770 | $35.47 | $6,148 | $5,061 |
Bartenders: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$52,977 take-home in national prices
2
$44,809 take-home in national prices
3
$43,233 take-home in national prices
Where a median bartender paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 3,540 | $76,490 | $30,670 | $117,540 | $58,249 | $52,977 |
| Virgin Islands | 490 | $61,380 | $25,290 | $93,320 | — | — |
| New York | 43,130 | $61,210 | $33,640 | $93,530 | $48,358 | $44,809 |
| Washington | 16,800 | $55,830 | $39,380 | $90,130 | $46,265 | $43,233 |
| District of Columbia | 5,760 | $53,920 | $36,400 | $95,560 | $43,436 | $39,522 |
| Maine | 3,230 | $48,920 | $31,120 | $99,850 | $39,618 | $40,823 |
| Virginia | 13,370 | $47,070 | $27,890 | $90,400 | $38,108 | $37,692 |
| Vermont | 2,080 | $45,450 | $29,970 | $91,400 | $37,610 | $38,394 |
| Arizona | 14,840 | $45,070 | $30,650 | $86,720 | $37,661 | $37,407 |
| New Jersey | 16,260 | $44,020 | $32,220 | $80,480 | $36,294 | $33,357 |
| Oregon | 11,950 | $38,900 | $31,200 | $68,980 | $30,853 | $29,850 |
| Connecticut | 7,680 | $38,780 | $34,010 | $81,760 | $31,921 | $30,809 |
| Colorado | 17,000 | $38,170 | $30,800 | $94,880 | $31,711 | $30,771 |
| Maryland | 13,020 | $37,580 | $31,200 | $69,730 | $30,956 | $29,494 |
| Massachusetts | 19,850 | $37,440 | $31,890 | $70,870 | $30,439 | $28,782 |
| New Mexico | 3,790 | $36,980 | $25,720 | $63,570 | $31,271 | $33,912 |
| Delaware | 2,820 | $36,840 | $31,200 | $60,420 | $30,266 | $30,324 |
| Michigan | 21,100 | $36,780 | $25,960 | $76,090 | $30,420 | $31,616 |
| North Carolina | 20,070 | $36,470 | $16,180 | $74,450 | $30,537 | $32,374 |
| Rhode Island | 3,170 | $36,410 | $31,200 | $76,320 | $30,286 | $29,611 |
| California | 71,470 | $36,220 | $34,320 | $75,130 | $30,380 | $27,439 |
| Florida | 55,170 | $35,150 | $27,430 | $66,400 | $30,423 | $29,419 |
| Utah | 3,350 | $32,150 | $17,640 | $75,080 | $27,367 | $27,681 |
| Illinois | 43,010 | $31,200 | $31,200 | $46,520 | $25,850 | $25,860 |
| Ohio | 27,420 | $30,880 | $22,990 | $72,190 | $26,593 | $28,665 |
| Alaska | 2,280 | $30,460 | $24,880 | $61,550 | $26,502 | $25,892 |
| Nebraska | 7,320 | $30,180 | $28,080 | $60,140 | $25,900 | $28,745 |
| Missouri | 14,410 | $30,090 | $28,600 | $54,900 | $25,880 | $28,497 |
| West Virginia | 3,340 | $29,630 | $19,900 | $64,280 | $25,272 | $28,238 |
| South Dakota | 3,930 | $29,400 | $27,400 | $38,180 | $25,803 | $29,128 |
| North Dakota | 3,960 | $29,040 | $18,850 | $57,050 | $25,514 | $28,680 |
| New Hampshire | 3,840 | $28,800 | $17,390 | $78,230 | $25,321 | $24,308 |
| Kentucky | 6,870 | $28,780 | $16,110 | $63,140 | $24,415 | $27,080 |
| Pennsylvania | 37,490 | $28,420 | $17,460 | $62,830 | $24,121 | $24,722 |
| Mississippi | 2,770 | $28,320 | $15,910 | $74,330 | $24,531 | $28,211 |
| Alabama | 6,560 | $27,980 | $17,260 | $55,500 | $23,572 | $26,538 |
| Kansas | 5,430 | $27,940 | $17,150 | $66,010 | $23,829 | $26,457 |
| Tennessee | 10,330 | $27,480 | $15,970 | $52,740 | $24,240 | $26,385 |
| Nevada | 16,830 | $27,460 | $24,960 | $47,250 | $24,223 | $24,228 |
| Idaho | 3,430 | $27,240 | $16,850 | $61,060 | $23,707 | $24,825 |
| Minnesota | 24,420 | $26,900 | $23,150 | $38,790 | $23,023 | $23,345 |
| Montana | 5,370 | $26,010 | $21,940 | $32,870 | $22,563 | $23,840 |
| Arkansas | 3,020 | $25,090 | $22,880 | $56,830 | $21,820 | $25,098 |
| Oklahoma | 5,860 | $24,790 | $16,230 | $48,050 | $21,455 | $24,424 |
| Wisconsin | 29,520 | $23,460 | $17,200 | $39,040 | $20,607 | $21,901 |
| Georgia | 14,600 | $22,830 | $15,840 | $53,310 | $20,020 | $20,790 |
| Indiana | 12,880 | $22,770 | $17,050 | $45,000 | $19,719 | $21,128 |
| Texas | 59,000 | $22,690 | $16,200 | $65,300 | $20,295 | $20,911 |
| Puerto Rico | 3,480 | $22,630 | $21,840 | $38,310 | — | — |
| Wyoming | 2,660 | $22,030 | $17,620 | $55,070 | $19,752 | $21,309 |
| Iowa | 9,560 | $21,720 | $16,730 | $39,520 | $19,323 | $22,017 |
| Louisiana | 10,140 | $20,850 | $15,080 | $41,600 | $18,541 | $21,020 |
| Guam | 280 | $20,700 | $20,360 | $33,580 | — | — |
| South Carolina | 10,680 | $19,370 | $15,080 | $59,430 | $17,474 | $18,639 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 35-3011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.