Bartender Hourly Pay, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 12,786 US job postings by 2,118 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for bartenders: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 12,786 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for bartenders in US job postings is $16.85 an hour (1,902 postings from 381 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $12.14 to $19.60 an hour.
- Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $16.07 an hour (359 postings).
- The skills that most set bartender postings apart are mixology, bartending experience, pos system.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 1 year of experience.
Bartender job postings in the US, October 2026
- $16.85/hr
- Median advertised pay (1,902 postings)
- $12.14–$19.60
- Middle 50% of postings
- $16.07/hr
- Starting pay (postings asking up to 1 year)
- 12,786
- US job postings from 2,118 employers
How much does a bartender make an hour?
The median advertised pay is $16.85 an hour, from 1,902 US job postings by 381 employers that state pay. That is about $35,000 a year at 2,080 hours.
Advertised pay in 1,902 US bartender job postings: median $35,000 a year ($16.85 an hour), middle half $25,000 to $41,000.
- Median: $35,000 ($16.85/hr)
- 25th percentile: $25,000
- 75th percentile: $41,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $10K–$20K | 8.9% |
| $20K–$30K | 25.6% |
| $30K–$40K | 38.9% |
| $40K–$50K | 12.9% |
| $50K–$60K | 7.4% |
| $60K–$70K | 3.4% |
| $70K–$80K | 1.0% |
| $80K–$90K | 0.5% |
| $110K–$120K | 0.1% |
| $120K–$130K | 0.1% |
| $520K–$530K | 0.4% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $16.85 | $12.14–$19.60 | 1,095 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $35,000 | $25K–$41K | 1,902 |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Bartenders (35-3011) at $34,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for a bartender?
Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $16.07 an hour (359 postings).
| Experience asked | Median advertised pay | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 years | $16.07/hr | 359 |
| 2-4 years | withheld | 190 |
| 5+ years | withheld | 6 |
Highest-paying bartender jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bartender (general) | $16.90/hr | 1,712 | 359 |
Bartender pay by state
Single-location US postings; states with at least 100 postings that state pay. States with pay-transparency laws (such as California, Colorado, New York and Washington) are over-represented among postings that state pay.
| State | Median pay | Middle 50% | Postings with pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $17.57/hr | $16.90–$20.25 | 378 | 7.6% |
| New York | $13.68/hr | $11.35–$17.85 | 223 | 3.9% |
Skills employers ask for in bartender job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 35% |
| Customer service | 21% |
| Attention to detail | 14% |
| Interpersonal skills | 11% |
| Positive attitude | 11% |
| Friendly | 10% |
| Teamwork | 8% |
| Team player | 8% |
| Multitask | 8% |
| Mixology | 8% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set bartenders apart
- Mixology202.6× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Pos system26.5× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Friendly7.3× as often as in all postings · 10%
- Multitask3.9× as often as in all postings · 8%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a bartender job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a bartender do?
Employers post these jobs as Barback, Banquet Bartender, Bar Back, Bartender/Server, Server/Bartender and other titles. The largest specializations are Barback (9%), Sommelier (under 1%).
The closest official occupation is Bartenders (35-3011.00). Its most important tasks:
- Clean glasses, utensils, and bar equipment.
- Collect money for drinks served.
- Balance cash receipts.
- Check identification of customers to verify age requirements for purchase of alcohol.
- Clean bars, work areas, and tables.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a bartender?
Among 1,464 postings that state a minimum, the median is 1 year. Under 1% say 0 years and 59% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 1,464 US bartender job postings: median 1 year, and 59% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 4% |
| 1 yr | 55% |
| 2 yrs | 31% |
| 3-4 yrs | 8% |
| 5-7 yrs | 1% |
| 8-9 yrs | under 1% |
| 10+ yrs | under 1% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Part-time 65%, Full-time 35% of the 603 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a bartender: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Bartender | 1,659 (78.3%) |
| Barback | 291 (13.7%) |
| Banquet Bartender | 115 (5.4%) |
| Bar Back | 93 (4.4%) |
| Bartender/Server | 70 (3.3%) |
| Server/Bartender | 69 (3.3%) |
| Lead Bartender | 43 (2.0%) |
| Restaurant Bartender | 43 (2.0%) |
| Bar Manager | 37 (1.8%) |
| Part-Time Bartender | 28 (1.3%) |
| Seasonal Bartender | 25 (1.2%) |
| Experienced Bartender | 21 (1.0%) |
| Event Bartender | 20 (0.9%) |
| Lounge Bartender | 17 (0.8%) |
| Hotel Bartender | 14 (0.7%) |
| Service Bartender | 13 (0.6%) |
| Catering Bartender | 13 (0.6%) |
| Bartenders | 13 (0.6%) |
| Bartender (Part-Time) | 12 (0.6%) |
| Full Time Bartender | 11 (0.5%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Bartender job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Back | 290 | 93 | – | – | work as a team, apply common sense and understanding, deal with standardized situations |
| Barback | 687 | 291 | – | – | communication, attention to detail, customer service |
Bartender vs Bar Back
| Bartender | Bar Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Open US postings | 10,056 | 290 |
| Employers | 1,659 | 93 |
| Median advertised pay | $16.50/hr | – |
| Median experience asked | 1 year | – |
| Skills that stand out | – | – |
Bartender vs Barback
| Bartender | Barback | |
|---|---|---|
| Open US postings | 10,056 | 687 |
| Employers | 1,659 | 291 |
| Median advertised pay | $16.50/hr | – |
| Median experience asked | 1 year | – |
| Skills that stand out | – | punctual, strong work ethic |
Bartender compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bartender | $16.85/hr | 1 year | 12,786 | – |
| Server | $16.90/hr | 1 year | 28,843 | 19 |
| Host | $16.58/hr | 1 year | 11,859 | 21 |
| Cashier | $16.50/hr | 1 year | 36,744 | 19 |
| Recreation Attendant | $17.13/hr | – | 2,760 | 17 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Server | 19 | $16.90/hr |
| Host | 21 | $16.58/hr |
| Cashier | 19 | $16.50/hr |
| Recreation Attendant | 17 | $17.13/hr |
| Barista | 17 | $17.28/hr |
| Retail Sales Associate | 17 | $17.24/hr |
Applying for bartender jobs?
- Bartender resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find bartender jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does a bartender make an hour?
What are other names for a bartender?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 19 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.