Bartenders Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for bartenderss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- Hawaii$76,740
- New York$61,670
- Washington$60,010
- District of Columbia$59,210
- Maine$58,520
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $76,740 | $76,490 | $37 | +88.1% | 3,540 |
| 2 | New York | $61,670 | $61,210 | $30 | +51.2% | 43,130 |
| 3 | Washington | $60,010 | $55,830 | $29 | +47.1% | 16,800 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $59,210 | $53,920 | $28 | +45.2% | 5,760 |
| 5 | Maine | $58,520 | $48,920 | $28 | +43.5% | 3,230 |
| 6 | Virginia | $54,200 | $47,070 | $26 | +32.9% | 13,370 |
| 7 | Arizona | $54,030 | $45,070 | $26 | +32.5% | 14,840 |
| 8 | Vermont | $51,780 | $45,450 | $25 | +26.9% | 2,080 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $51,440 | $44,020 | $25 | +26.1% | 16,260 |
| 10 | Colorado | $51,250 | $38,170 | $25 | +25.6% | 17,000 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $51,020 | $38,780 | $25 | +25.1% | 7,680 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $46,090 | $36,410 | $22 | +13% | 3,170 |
| 13 | Oregon | $46,080 | $38,900 | $22 | +13% | 11,950 |
| 14 | Maryland | $45,180 | $37,580 | $22 | +10.8% | 13,020 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $45,120 | $37,440 | $22 | +10.6% | 19,850 |
| 16 | California | $44,780 | $36,220 | $22 | +9.8% | 71,470 |
| 17 | Michigan | $44,470 | $36,780 | $21 | +9% | 21,100 |
| 18 | Delaware | $42,890 | $36,840 | $21 | +5.1% | 2,820 |
| 19 | Florida | $42,280 | $35,150 | $20 | +3.7% | 55,170 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $41,500 | $36,980 | $20 | +1.7% | 3,790 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $41,200 | $36,470 | $20 | +1% | 20,070 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $40,730 | $28,800 | $20 | -0.1% | 3,840 |
| 23 | Utah | $40,430 | $32,150 | $19 | -0.9% | 3,350 |
| 24 | Ohio | $39,420 | $30,880 | $19 | -3.4% | 27,420 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $38,350 | $30,180 | $18 | -6% | 7,320 |
| 26 | Missouri | $38,170 | $30,090 | $18 | -6.4% | 14,410 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $37,910 | $29,630 | $18 | -7.1% | 3,340 |
| 28 | Alaska | $36,560 | $30,460 | $18 | -10.4% | 2,280 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $36,510 | $28,320 | $18 | -10.5% | 2,770 |
| 30 | Nevada | $36,210 | $27,460 | $17 | -11.2% | 16,830 |
| 31 | Kansas | $35,780 | $27,940 | $17 | -12.3% | 5,430 |
| 32 | Illinois | $35,550 | $31,200 | $17 | -12.8% | 43,010 |
| 33 | Pennsylvania | $35,460 | $28,420 | $17 | -13.1% | 37,490 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $34,970 | $28,780 | $17 | -14.3% | 6,870 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $33,390 | $29,040 | $16 | -18.1% | 3,960 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $32,850 | $25,090 | $16 | -19.5% | 3,020 |
| 37 | Idaho | $32,670 | $27,240 | $16 | -19.9% | 3,430 |
| 38 | Texas | $32,640 | $22,690 | $16 | -20% | 59,000 |
| 39 | Alabama | $32,220 | $27,980 | $15 | -21% | 6,560 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $31,940 | $29,400 | $15 | -21.7% | 3,930 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $31,180 | $27,480 | $15 | -23.6% | 10,330 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $30,680 | $26,900 | $15 | -24.8% | 24,420 |
| 43 | Georgia | $30,330 | $22,830 | $15 | -25.6% | 14,600 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $29,260 | $24,790 | $14 | -28.3% | 5,860 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $29,000 | $22,030 | $14 | -28.9% | 2,660 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $28,440 | $19,370 | $14 | -30.3% | 10,680 |
| 47 | Indiana | $27,780 | $22,770 | $13 | -31.9% | 12,880 |
| 48 | Montana | $27,210 | $26,010 | $13 | -33.3% | 5,370 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $26,970 | $23,460 | $13 | -33.9% | 29,520 |
| 50 | Iowa | $25,620 | $21,720 | $12 | -37.2% | 9,560 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $25,250 | $20,850 | $12 | -38.1% | 10,140 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 520 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $86,280 | $91,360 | 800 |
| 2 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $75,340 | $72,660 | 2,130 |
| 3 | Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $67,130 | $71,990 | 620 |
| 4 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $61,220 | $63,630 | 38,510 |
| 5 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $58,180 | $62,090 | 9,640 |
| 6 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $56,640 | $59,070 | 270 |
| 7 | Bellingham, WA | $56,110 | $59,340 | 600 |
| 8 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $55,820 | $58,550 | 600 |
| 9 | Portland-South Portland, ME | $54,170 | $60,600 | 1,780 |
| 10 | Walla Walla, WA | $54,030 | $57,150 | 120 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing bartenderss (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers | $46,040 | $38,720 | — |
| 2 | Gasoline Stations | $46,040 | $38,720 | — |
| 3 | Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | $44,870 | $44,780 | — |
| 4 | Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land | $43,380 | $44,010 | 50 |
| 5 | Temporary Help Services | $43,260 | $43,330 | 2,000 |
| 6 | Employment Services | $38,930 | $41,780 | 3,460 |
| 7 | Technical and Trade Schools, Privately Owned | $38,580 | $38,510 | 110 |
| 8 | Technical and Trade Schools | $38,380 | $38,310 | 110 |
| 9 | Administrative and Support Services | $38,210 | $41,590 | 3,790 |
| 10 | Other Personal Services | $38,210 | $41,810 | 610 |
| 11 | Sector 56 - Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | $38,210 | $41,590 | 3,790 |
| 12 | Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | $38,150 | $40,500 | 1,850 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Top Skills
Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do bartenders make in the U.S.?
The median bartenders salary in the United States is $34,340 per year (mean $40,790), and about 80% earn between $20,110 and $73,770.
How much do bartenders make per hour?
Roughly $20 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $40,790 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays bartenders the most?
Hawaii has the highest average pay for bartenders at $76,740 per year (median $76,490).
What is the job outlook for bartenders?
Employment is projected to change +5.9% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 129,600 openings per year.