Bartenders attend the bar of a restaurant, a club, a pub, or any establishment that serves alcoholic drinks and other beverages. It is their responsibility to serve customers whatever drink they wish – whether it is a draft beer, a cocktail, or a glass of carbonated drink.
About 611,200 individuals are employed as bartenders, with half of this number working part-time. The average annual salary for bartenders is $22,550 or an equivalent of $10.84 per hour, including tips.
No formal training is needed for one to get a job as a bartender as all it takes are good customer service skills and a comprehensive knowledge about beverages and recipes.
Bartender Salary
How much do bartenders make? A bartender’s starting salary depends greatly on a number of factors. One of these is the establishment or place of employment. Busy restaurants usually pay higher salaries and bartenders tend to enjoy higher amounts of tips. Upscale establishments such as fine dining restaurants and luxury hotel bars also pay higher and bartenders receive higher tips from customers.
A bartender’s salary is the addition of hourly wages and customer’s tips so it varies greatly from state to state, city to city, and type of establishment. Bartenders who work in the restaurant and food establishments made up 45% of the bartender population; 28% work in drinking establishments; 7% in civic and social organizations; 7% in traveler accommodation; and 6% in other amusement and recreational industries.
Discrepancies in annual salaries are also due to a state’s minimum wage – those who work in states with higher minimal wages usually earn more than others in the industry.
Top 5 Paying States
| Flag | State | Employment per 1000 Jobs | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hawaii | 6.46 | $17.45 | $36,290 |
 | Virginia | 2.58 | $14.52 | $30,190 |
 | Washington | 4.81 | $14.13 | $29,390 |
 | Vermont | 6.57 | $13.84 | $28,780 |
 | Massachusetts | 5.57 | $13.20 | $27,460 |
Top Paying Industries
| Industry | Percent of industry employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation | 0.46 | $13.55 | $28,190 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 2.13 | $13.44 | $27,950 |
| Beer, Wine, and Distilled Alcoholic Wholesalers | 0.03 | $13.33 | $27,720 |
| Grocery Stores | – | $13.06 | $27,160 |
| Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services | 0.04 | $12.71 | $26,450 |
Bartender Job Description
What do a bartenders do? A bartender’s basic job is to mix and serve drinks to customers. They work in restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs, and other food service establishments. Most of them work indoors but there are also those who work outdoors, at a hotel’s pool area, on the beach, or in a catered event.
Bartenders do more than just mix drinks – they have a number of responsibilities that go beyond the basic scope of a bartender’s job. The duties and responsibilities of a bartender include greeting customers and giving them menus, taking their drink orders, mixing their drinks, serving them at the bar or through a wait staff, cleaning the bar and his/her work area, collecting payments, making inventories of beverages and bar supplies, and making sure the bar is fully equipped to meet the needs of customers.
Bartenders also work with equipment such as an automatic machine that pours, and mixes drinks at the push of a button. Though they won’t be the doing the actual mixing with this equipment, they still have to serve the customer and be familiar with each and every ingredient.
Among the tools a bartender needs are carbonated drink dispensers, cocktail shakers, commercial strainers, ice shavers, blenders, and other accessories. It is also his/her job to keep stock and prepare garnishes for drinks, wash glassware, serve food for customers at the bar, and maintain the right amount of ice, glasses, and other essential bar supplies.
Other duties include making sure they serve alcohol to customers who are at the legal age of drinking in the state, and making sure no more alcoholic drinks are served to those who are already overly intoxicated. They’re often the first line of customer service so they must have a neat appearance and ]excellent communications skills. Those who work in upscale restaurants must wear uniforms, ties, or aprons that are provided by the employer.
Bartender Job Outlook
The projected increase in the percentage of jobs in the bartending industry is 2% from 2016 to 2026, or around 15,100 more jobs. As more and more people are earning a good living, their need to go out and have drinks with friends and colleagues is also on the rise. This leads to the establishment of more taverns, clubs, pubs, bars, and restaurants, and the demand for bartenders also rise.
However, moderate employment growth is seen due to the increasing popularity of take-out and self-service food establishments.
Those who have education from a bartending school, have the adequate experience, and excellent customer service skills are seen to have the best job prospects.
Bartender Salary by State
| Flag | State | Employment per 1000 Jobs | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Alabama | 1.874 | $9.58 | $19,920 |
 | Alaska | 5.164 | $13.06 | $27,170 |
 | Arizona | 4.349 | $10.50 | $21,830 |
 | Arkansas | 1.635 | $8.68 | $18,060 |
 | California | 3.8 | $11.89 | $24,720 |
 | Colorado | 4.497 | $11.59 | $24,120 |
 | Connecticut | 4.396 | $11.04 | $22,960 |
 | Delaware | 3.231 | $10.17 | $21,150 |
 | Florida | 4.897 | $12.20 | $25,370 |
 | Georgia | 2.515 | $9.90 | $20,580 |
| Hawaii | 6.456 | $17.45 | $36,290 |
 | Idaho | 4.462 | $9.37 | $19,480 |
 | Illinois | 5.094 | $10.35 | $21,530 |
 | Indiana | 4.256 | $10.28 | $21,370 |
 | Iowa | 4.912 | $8.86 | $18,440 |
 | Kansas | 3.606 | $9.03 | $18,790 |
 | Kentucky | 2.082 | $9.53 | $19,810 |
 | Louisiana | 4.467 | $9.19 | $19,120 |
 | Maine | 4.635 | $10.48 | $21,790 |
 | Maryland | 3.744 | $10.76 | $22,380 |
| Massachusetts | 5.3 | $12.28 | $25,530 |
 | Michigan | 4.33 | $9.82 | $20,430 |
 | Minnesota | 6.222 | $9.16 | $19,050 |
 | Mississippi | 2.2 | $9.24 | $19,210 |
 | Missouri | 3.354 | $9.43 | $19,620 |
 | Montana | 10.853 | $9.38 | $19,510 |
 | Nebraska | 5.55 | $8.85 | $18,420 |
 | Nevada | 11.83 | $12.95 | $26,930 |
 | New Hampshire | 5.154 | $10.00 | $20,810 |
 | New Jersey | 4.019 | $12.02 | $25,000 |
 | New Mexico | 3.448 | $10.37 | $21,570 |
 | New York | 4.739 | $11.41 | $23,740 |
 | North Carolina | 2.668 | $10.55 | $21,930 |
 | North Dakota | 8.01 | $9.45 | $19,660 |
 | Ohio | 4.41 | $9.63 | $20,020 |
 | Oklahoma | 3.012 | $9.67 | $20,110 |
 | Oregon | 6.185 | $10.32 | $21,470 |
 | Pennsylvania | 5.521 | $9.68 | $20,140 |
 | Rhode Island | 7.163 | $11.01 | $22,900 |
 | South Carolina | 3.557 | $9.80 | $20,390 |
 | South Dakota | 7.737 | $9.19 | $19,110 |
 | Tennessee | 2.345 | $9.46 | $19,690 |
 | Texas | 3.346 | $10.83 | $22,530 |
 | Utah | 2.098 | $11.08 | $23,050 |
| Vermont | 6.574 | $13.84 | $28,780 |
| Virginia | 2.585 | $14.52 | $30,190 |
| Washington | 4.808 | $14.13 | $29,390 |
 | West Virginia | 3.466 | $8.83 | $18,370 |
 | Wisconsin | 8.843 | $9.48 | $19,710 |
 | Wyoming | 7.919 | $9.38 | $19,510 |
Top paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Employment per 1000 jobs | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle / Bellevue / Everett, – WA – Metropolitan Division | 4.32 | $15.91 | $33,100 |
| Bremerton / Silverdale, – WA | 5.70 | $15.54 | $32,310 |
| Honolulu, HI | 5.64 | $15.40 | $32,020 |
| Blacksburg / Christiansburg / Radford, – VA | 3.12 | $15.07 | $31,350 |
| Burlington / South Burlington, – VT | 4.24 | $14.71 | $30,600 |
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas
| Area | Employment per 1000 jobs | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii – Maui – Kauai nonmetropolitan area | 8.70 | $21.09 | $43,860 |
| Nantucket Island / Martha’s Vineyard – nonmetropolitan area | 12.25 | $16.33 | $33,970 |
| Eastern Washington – nonmetropolitan area | 4.48 | $15.54 | $32,320 |
| Southern Vermont – nonmetropolitan area | 8.50 | $14.80 | $30,790 |
| Southside Virginia – nonmetropolitan area | – | $14.03 | $29,180 |
