occupation · 35-3011 · detailed
Bartenders — wages and employment
Bartenders earned a median annual wage of $33,530 in the United States in May 2024, with 745,610 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Bartenders earned a median annual wage of $33,530 in the United States in May 2024, with 745,610 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $19,930 or less, the best-paid tenth $71,920 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $31,510 to $33,530, +6.4 %. The best-paying state is Hawaii at $68,820; the lowest South Carolina at $18,390. Among metropolitan areas, Kahului-Wailuku, HI pays the highest median, $80,040. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 745,610 | $33,530 | $39,880 | $19,930 | $25,790 | $46,790 | $71,920 | $16.12 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 711,140 | $31,510 | $37,090 | $19,870 | $23,860 | $42,800 | $61,210 | $15.15 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $68,820 | 3,640 |
| New York | $60,750 | 42,550 |
| District of Columbia | $54,930 | 4,890 |
| Vermont | $54,310 | 2,210 |
| Washington | $48,320 | 19,140 |
| Maine | $47,630 | 3,060 |
| Virginia | $46,860 | 15,870 |
| New Jersey | $45,660 | 17,500 |
| Virgin Islands | $42,630 | 460 |
| Arizona | $40,860 | 13,360 |
| Michigan | $39,500 | 19,530 |
| Delaware | $36,420 | 2,380 |
| Massachusetts | $36,000 | 21,080 |
| California | $35,900 | 69,790 |
| Maryland | $35,750 | 13,770 |
| Connecticut | $34,420 | 8,280 |
| Utah | $34,120 | 3,320 |
| Oregon | $33,970 | 11,940 |
| Colorado | $33,780 | 17,670 |
| Rhode Island | $33,700 | 3,560 |
| North Carolina | $32,410 | 19,500 |
| New Mexico | $31,370 | 3,460 |
| Florida | $30,850 | 54,800 |
| Alaska | $29,860 | 2,070 |
| Ohio | $29,850 | 27,530 |
| Nebraska | $29,400 | 6,500 |
| Illinois | $29,120 | 40,520 |
| West Virginia | $29,030 | 3,120 |
| Kentucky | $28,590 | 6,210 |
| South Dakota | $28,530 | 3,520 |
| North Dakota | $28,440 | 3,890 |
| New Hampshire | $28,100 | 3,830 |
| Kansas | $27,760 | 5,740 |
| Texas | $27,750 | 57,990 |
| Pennsylvania | $27,090 | 34,740 |
| Missouri | $27,060 | 14,530 |
| Minnesota | $26,840 | 21,570 |
| Arkansas | $26,030 | 2,630 |
| Nevada | $25,790 | 17,090 |
| Mississippi | $24,700 | 2,800 |
| Georgia | $23,500 | 14,980 |
| Idaho | $22,880 | 3,990 |
| Montana | $22,840 | 5,130 |
| Indiana | $22,790 | 12,830 |
| Alabama | $22,670 | 5,850 |
| Tennessee | $22,660 | 10,380 |
| Wisconsin | $22,520 | 29,340 |
| Iowa | $22,500 | 8,740 |
| Wyoming | $22,010 | 2,740 |
| Oklahoma | $21,620 | 5,580 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,160 | 2,780 |
| Guam | $20,370 | 300 |
| Louisiana | $19,620 | 8,960 |
| South Carolina | $18,390 | 11,490 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $80,040 | 780 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $70,300 | 2,210 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $65,480 | 850 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $59,030 | 37,530 |
| Kingston, NY | $56,070 | 480 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $51,390 | 1,290 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | $51,180 | 1,760 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $50,070 | 15,110 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $49,950 | 2,990 |
| Ithaca, NY | $49,940 | 280 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $49,490 | 10,870 |
| Glens Falls, NY | $49,430 | 340 |
| Syracuse, NY | $48,810 | 1,640 |
| Binghamton, NY | $48,530 | 690 |
| Roanoke, VA | $48,260 | 640 |
| Rochester, NY | $47,980 | 2,220 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $47,740 | 1,800 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $47,690 | 750 |
| Bellingham, WA | $47,170 | 690 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $46,790 | 330 |
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