Bartender Salary: How Much Do Bartenders Make on Average?

Trying to predict a bartender's income is like trying to forecast the weather a month in advance. Your earnings can vary widely depending on the type of venue, the clientele, your personality, and your level of skill, among other things. Training matters too. Online alcohol server training can unlock better shifts and sharpen up-selling that boosts tips. 

In this guide, we’ll show how those variables stack up to better help you understand what to expect before stepping behind the bar. 

How Much Do Bartenders Make, Officially? 

As of May 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the average wage for a bartender in the U.S. was $16.12 an hour or about $33,500 a year. Your pay could be very different depending on the bar, your location, and your clientele. The bottom 10% of bartenders make less than $10 an hour, while the highest-paid ones make over $70,000 a year.  

Bartending's uptick in wages is a clear sign of improvement, especially since the pandemic. It shows that the industry is slowly getting back on its feet after the challenges of 2020. 

"Reported" is the keyword there. For a tipped profession like bartending, the income is divided into two categories: base pay (an hourly rate) and tipped pay. Few in the service industry are 100% honest about their tips with Uncle Sam. The BLS collects its data from surveys instead of the IRS, but the point stands. 

As a result, you can take the BLS data as a conservative estimate. It's the low end of what you stand to earn. 

How Much Do Bartenders Make a Year in Base Pay? 

Even the base pay for bartenders, which is the more predictable part of their earnings, can vary a lot.  

Where you live plays a huge role, since minimum wage laws and customer volume differ from state to state. The type of business and the skill required, as well as the owner’s generosity, will dictate how much above the local minimum wage you can expect. 

The tipped minimum wage is still $2.13 an hour by federal law, but many states and cities have higher requirements. In places that allow a tip credit, the employer is supposed to make up any shortfall in tips to bring employees up to at least the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. However, not all employers do. That means it’s possible to make less than the federal minimum wage. 

Luckily, bartenders usually make more than the tipped minimum because they aren’t the lowest-ranking tipped employees. That said, sleepy bars in sleepy towns may end up with the lowest possible base wage, especially in the Southeastern United States, where the federal minimum wage stands. 

As for averages reported outside the BLS, estimates continue to vary: 

• $16 an hour (roughly $33,000 a year), according to Ziprecruiter 

• $64,000 a year, according to Glassdoor 

• $17.97 an hour ($48,363 a year), according to Indeed 

You can visit those links to see a rough estimate of what your base pay would be at your location and experience level. Remember, these just reflect base pay only, not tips. 

How Much Do Bartenders Make in Tips? 

According to Indeed, the average bartender in the U.S. makes around $150 per day in tips. 

The actual amount a bartender will make in one night depends on the pricing, clientele, and how busy the establishment is. On a slow night, bartenders can usually manage $50 in tips, but they may end up with nothing. On a crowded night, they can make as much as $400-600 in tips at a high-end bar or a fine dining spot. 

Glassdoor estimates the average bartender in the U.S. makes over $25,000 a year in tips, for a total income of just under $60k. 

Where Do Bartenders Make the Most Money? 

A common question for people starting out is: where’s the best place to bartend if you want to make the most money? The truth is, it depends. 

While the BLS will report that places like resorts, upscale hotels, wineries, and distilleries are where bartenders make the most money, there isn’t one type of bar or restaurant that always pays the best. How much you make depends on factors like where the bar is located, who your clientele is, how busy it gets, and, most important of all, how good you are at the job. In some towns, the busiest clubs bring in the most tips. In others, it might be a small neighborhood bar with loyal regulars. 

Airports are known to be very profitable. Bartenders there can make several thousand dollars a month because there’s a steady stream of travelers all day. There are drawbacks, as with every job. It can be hectic and stressful, but the nonstop flow of customers often means steady tips. 

Private events are another good option. Weddings, parties, and corporate events often pay a set amount up front, plus tips. These shifts are usually shorter than working in a restaurant or bar, but the money can be just as good or even better. Bars and casinos tend to land in the mid-range. The lowest pay comes from civic, social, amusement, and recreational facilities. 

Geographically, the top-paying for bartending states are Washington, Arizona, New York, and Massachusetts. Top metropolitan areas include Seattle, New York City, San Francisco, the District of Columbia, Boston, and Los Angeles. 

Places where bartending pays the best also tend to have a high cost of living, so it will balance out. But bartenders in these locales that work at high-end bars, restaurants, and hotels can make six figures a year. 

At the end of the day, the bartender often makes more of a difference than the venue. A skilled bartender with good people skills can make more money in a moderately busy bar than someone less experienced working in a packed nightclub. 

But How Much Can Bartending Cost You? 

Despite its excellent earnings potential, bartending can end up costing you money – that's because you can be held liable if you serve an intoxicated or underage customer. In some states, you can even be held liable for the bad actions of a customer after they leave. 

It's important to know the serving laws in your area and the possible consequences of breaking them, from criminal fines to civil lawsuits. Some states require bartenders to take training in alcohol compliance, while in other jurisdictions, you can get some leeway if your training is recent. 

We offer alcohol seller/server training that's accepted by the legal authority in many jurisdictions. It's online, self-paced, convenient, and best of all, cheap. If you also need food handler training, you can bundle! Check out our catalog and enroll today!