How Much Do Bartenders Make [It’s Not What Others Are Telling You]

Jul 23

If you’ve trolled the internet you’ve probably heard that bartenders can make up to $500 a night, but when you look up salaries on big websites they indicate that bartenders only make between $17,000 and $30,000 a year (depending on which one you visit). But that math doesn’t add up, does it? So which is it?

I love online compensation tools for many jobs, but when it comes to jobs like bartending, they’re rubbish. I seriously question how companies report information on places like Indeed or Payscale. My guess is that corporate chains are more likely to report on these sites. If that’s the case, it makes perfect sense why the numbers are so low, those places often pay the least and have the lowest tips.

So instead of regurgitating these numbers, I decided to track down bartenders across the country and ask about their experiences. This article is the culmination of that research.

How Are Bartenders Paid

The thing about bartender salaries is that they’re hard to calculate because they’re not paid a salary. Most bartenders are paid an hourly wage plus tips.

Keep in mind that some gigs may not allow you to take tips. I’ve seen many people at private cocktail bars and other places that only make an hourly wage. Tips are not guaranteed.

How Much Do Bartenders Make Per Hour

I tracked down just over 20 bartenders from across the country and asked them if they would share their hourly wage (base salary) with me. I got answers as low as $5 per hour and some making over $20 per hour. Those numbers are without tips. I also pulled some information from my favorite HR compensation tool, ERI and here is what I found.

Although each state does have a minimum wage for bartenders, it was rare anyone was making minimum wage.

National Average Bartender Hourly Wage: $16 per hour (Average Base)

Low-End Bartender Hourly Wage Nationwide: $12 per hour

High-End Bartender Hourly Wage Nationwide: $19 per hour

Based on my conversations with current bartenders, those numbers seem to be in line with what everyone was telling me.

What is the Average Salary for Bartenders

We all know that those hourly wages make up a small portion of most bartenders’ take-home pay. If we take those numbers and add what bartenders make in tips, we can come up with an average bartender salary to compare apples to apples before you decide to go popping bottles at the nightclub for a living.

Every salary tool I tried to use had this information wrong. None of it lined up with any current bartender salaries shared with me. My guess is that this is because most organizations reporting numbers are probably those big chains like Applebees and TGI Fridays, where the compensation tends to be on the low end (I’ll talk more about that later).

Bartender Total Annual Income Range Low-End: $41,600

Bartender Total Annual Income Range High-End: $84,100

Bartender Total Annual Income Mean: $58,000

One important fact to keep in mind about these numbers is that they are not based on a 40-hour work week. Many bartenders I spoke to only work part-time. One person I tracked down made $70,000 per year working 8 days per month at a cigar lounge and bar.

Bartender Salary by Venue

Not all bartenders are the same. You could work in a nightclub, a sports bar, a corporate chain restaurant, a wedding event, a private cocktail bar, or many more places. All of these come with different compensation levels.

For example, union bartenders in big hotels and restaurants in New York City earn $26 per hour plus tips. They also receive healthcare benefits and paid time off. Las Vegas also has similar unions that barter for better pay, although not quite as good as NYC.

Most bartenders will tell you that the best money is in volume spots like nightclubs, busy dive bars, and sports bars. Remember that guy working at the cigar lounge I mentioned in the last section making $70,000 working 8 days per month? Well, another person who works at Chili’s 35 hours per week only made $30,000 per year. Where you work matters a lot.

Big-city bartenders typically make much more than small towns as well. No surprise, big cities tend to have more volume. One person in the Los Angeles region made nearly double the pay by working in West Hollywood instead of Van Nuys. West Hollywood has a much bigger volume area and has higher per capita income. It’s no surprise.

Bartender Pay is Volatile

Another thing you should know about bartending is that the pay is not steady like many other jobs. While you may make $70,000 this year, it won’t be spread equally among all your shifts or even months.

The variation in income is insane. One day you may make $800 and another day you’ll make $50 and a parking ticket. If you’re considering bartending, you have to be prepared for the high highs and the low lows.

It can also be very seasonal in some locations, so you’ll have to be good with money management and plan for those months when you don’t make as much money.

Where do Bartenders Make the Most Money

By Venue

Bartenders working in resorts, luxury hotels, upscale restaurants, and high-volume nightclubs typically make the most money.

Bartenders working in a casino, bar or restaurant make a little less.

And bartenders working in chain restaurants usually make the least.

By Location

The highest paying states are California, New York, and the District of Columbia. Bartenders in the following cities typically made the highest pay.

New York City
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington D.C.
Los Angeles
Boston

Keep in mind that the cost of living in these locations is also quite high. But many of the bartenders I tracked down were making $80,000 per year or more. One of them was making over $100,000 per year, but that is more rare according to the bartenders I spoke with.

What Was the Education Level of the Bartenders

One final note that I thought was important about the bartenders I interacted with was their education level.

67% of the bartenders had a high school degree
11% had an Associate degree
18% had a Bachelor's degree

This is a job that you can do without any formal education as long as you have a bartending license.

How Many Bartender Job Openings Are There

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 113,500 job openings for bartenders are projected each year on average with a growth rate of around 3% each year.

How Much Do Bartenders Make Recommended Reading

Bartender Resume Guide [With Example Resumes]

Cole Sperry has been a recruiter and resume writer since 2015, working with tens of thousands of job seekers, and hundreds of employers. Today Cole runs a boutique advisory firm consulting with dozens of recruiting firms and is the Managing Editor at OptimCareers.com.