Which state pays bartenders the most?

Hawaii, at a median of $76,490. After adjusting for prices, Hawaii is highest, at $69,567 in US-average prices.

What education do bartenders need?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists no formal educational credential as the typical education to start. The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links 2 programs here to bartenders: Culinary Arts (Associate's) and Culinary Arts (Certificate).

Bartenders: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

756,390 jobs in the US
Typical education to start: no formal educational credential
Occupation code 35-3011

BLS wages May 2025 · BLS projections 2025 to 2035 · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

Bartenders earn a median of $34,340 a year in the US, across all experience levels. Pay is highest in Hawaii ($76,490) and lowest in South Carolina ($19,370). After adjusting for prices, Hawaii is highest ($69,567) and South Carolina lowest ($20,662). Jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 121,200 openings a year across the US.

Median pay$34,340US, all experience levels

Bottom 10% earn under$20,110US

Top 10% earn over$73,770US

Projected job growth5%2025 to 2035, about 121,200 openings a year

Pay for bartenders by state

Median pay across all experience levels. "After prices" divides it by the state's price level (US average = 100), so states can be compared by what the pay buys.

#	State	Median pay	After prices	Jobs	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
1	Hawaii	$76,490	$69,567	3,540	$30,670	$117,540
2	New York	$61,210	$56,717	43,130	$33,640	$93,530
3	Washington	$55,830	$52,171	16,800	$39,380	$90,130
4	District of Columbia	$53,920	$49,062	5,760	$36,400	$95,560
5	Maine	$48,920	$50,407	3,230	$31,120	$99,850
6	Virginia	$47,070	$46,556	13,370	$27,890	$90,400
7	Vermont	$45,450	$46,397	2,080	$29,970	$91,400
8	Arizona	$45,070	$44,767	14,840	$30,650	$86,720
9	New Jersey	$44,020	$40,458	16,260	$32,220	$80,480
10	Oregon	$38,900	$37,635	11,950	$31,200	$68,980
11	Connecticut	$38,780	$37,429	7,680	$34,010	$81,760
12	Colorado	$38,170	$37,040	17,000	$30,800	$94,880
13	Maryland	$37,580	$35,804	13,020	$31,200	$69,730
14	Massachusetts	$37,440	$35,402	19,850	$31,890	$70,870
15	New Mexico	$36,980	$40,103	3,790	$25,720	$63,570
16	Delaware	$36,840	$36,911	2,820	$31,200	$60,420
17	Michigan	$36,780	$38,226	21,100	$25,960	$76,090
18	North Carolina	$36,470	$38,664	20,070	$16,180	$74,450
19	Rhode Island	$36,410	$35,598	3,170	$31,200	$76,320
20	California	$36,220	$32,713	71,470	$34,320	$75,130
21	Florida	$35,150	$33,990	55,170	$27,430	$66,400
22	Utah	$32,150	$32,519	3,350	$17,640	$75,080
23	Illinois	$31,200	$31,213	43,010	$31,200	$46,520
24	Ohio	$30,880	$33,285	27,420	$22,990	$72,190
25	Alaska	$30,460	$29,758	2,280	$24,880	$61,550
26	Nebraska	$30,180	$33,495	7,320	$28,080	$60,140
27	Missouri	$30,090	$33,133	14,410	$28,600	$54,900
28	West Virginia	$29,630	$33,107	3,340	$19,900	$64,280
29	South Dakota	$29,400	$33,188	3,930	$27,400	$38,180
30	North Dakota	$29,040	$32,644	3,960	$18,850	$57,050
31	New Hampshire	$28,800	$27,648	3,840	$17,390	$78,230
32	Kentucky	$28,780	$31,921	6,870	$16,110	$63,140
33	Pennsylvania	$28,420	$29,127	37,490	$17,460	$62,830
34	Mississippi	$28,320	$32,569	2,770	$15,910	$74,330
35	Alabama	$27,980	$31,501	6,560	$17,260	$55,500
36	Kansas	$27,940	$31,021	5,430	$17,150	$66,010
37	Tennessee	$27,480	$29,912	10,330	$15,970	$52,740
38	Nevada	$27,460	$27,466	16,830	$24,960	$47,250
39	Idaho	$27,240	$28,525	3,430	$16,850	$61,060
40	Minnesota	$26,900	$27,276	24,420	$23,150	$38,790
41	Montana	$26,010	$27,482	5,370	$21,940	$32,870
42	Arkansas	$25,090	$28,860	3,020	$22,880	$56,830
43	Oklahoma	$24,790	$28,221	5,860	$16,230	$48,050
44	Wisconsin	$23,460	$24,932	29,520	$17,200	$39,040
45	Georgia	$22,830	$23,709	14,600	$15,840	$53,310
46	Indiana	$22,770	$24,398	12,880	$17,050	$45,000
47	Texas	$22,690	$23,378	59,000	$16,200	$65,300
48	Puerto Rico	$22,630	Not available	3,480	$21,840	$38,310
49	Wyoming	$22,030	$23,767	2,660	$17,620	$55,070
50	Iowa	$21,720	$24,749	9,560	$16,730	$39,520
51	Louisiana	$20,850	$23,638	10,140	$15,080	$41,600
52	South Carolina	$19,370	$20,662	10,680	$15,080	$59,430

State names link to the state's college page. Puerto Rico has no BEA price level, so its pay is not adjusted.

Programs that lead to this job

The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links these programs to bartenders. Figures are medians across each program type's US programs. Program names link to the national ranking.

Program	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Culinary Arts (Associate's)	89	$26,320	$15,750
Culinary Arts (Certificate)	56	$21,718	$11,634

Program figures are first-year pay for new graduates. The job's median pay covers every experience level.

Common questions

Bartenders earn a median of $34,340 a year in the US, across all experience levels (May 2025). The bottom 10% earn less than $20,110, and the top 10% more than $73,770.

About this data

Pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. It covers all experience levels and all industries, and leaves out self-employed workers.
Projections are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, for the whole US.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.
Program figures are College Scorecard medians across programs, and only include students who received federal financial aid.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study files, June 2026 release