Bartenders
Hospitality and TourismO*NET 35-3011.00United States
Mix and serve drinks to patrons, directly or through waitstaff.
- Median annual earnings
- $34,294
- Projected change
- +8.7%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 764.77K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
79.9% of the workforce
Growing to 831.51K by 2035
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The work
What bartenders do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Collect money for drinks served.
- Clean glasses, utensils, and bar equipment.
- Check identification of customers to verify age requirements for purchase of alcohol.
- Balance cash receipts.
- Clean bars, work areas, and tables.
- Attempt to limit problems and liability related to customers' excessive drinking by taking steps such as persuading customers to stop drinking, or ordering taxis or other transportation for intoxicated patrons.
- Take beverage orders from serving staff or directly from patrons.
- Serve wine, and bottled or draft beer.
- Stock bar with beer, wine, liquor, and related supplies such as ice, glassware, napkins, or straws.
- Plan, organize, and control the operations of a cocktail lounge or bar.
- Serve snacks or food items to customers seated at the bar.
- Mix ingredients, such as liquor, soda, water, sugar, and bitters, to prepare cocktails and other drinks.
- Slice and pit fruit for garnishing drinks.
- Ask customers who become loud and obnoxious to leave, or physically remove them.
- Arrange bottles and glasses to make attractive displays.
- Create drink recipes.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $19,920
- 25th percentile
- $27,175
- 50th percentile
- $34,294
- 75th percentile
- $47,738
- 90th percentile
- $74,058
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $34,294 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+8.7%faster than average
2025764,774 jobs
2035 projected831,508 jobs
66,734 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 79.9%
- Some college
- 16.4%
- Certificate
- 2.6%
- Bachelor's degree
- 1.1%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Bartenders47,084 postings
- 02Bartenders/Servers9,395 postings
- 03Barbacks6,665 postings
- 04Lead Bartenders1,748 postings
- 05Banquet Bartenders1,499 postings
- 06Restaurant Bartenders1,304 postings
- 07Event Bartenders836 postings
- 08Pool Bartenders828 postings
- 09Lounge Bartenders825 postings
- 10Sommeliers741 postings
- 11Service Bartenders731 postings
- 12Bartenders/Bar Managers661 postings
- 13Bussers/Barbacks601 postings
- 14Snack Bar Attendants594 postings
- 15Managers/Bartenders590 postings
- 16Bartenders/Barbacks511 postings
- 17Bartenders/Cocktail Servers487 postings
- 18Bartenders/Mixologists454 postings
- 19Catering Bartenders437 postings
- 20Mixologists406 postings
Top employers
- 01Marriott International1,611 postings
- 02Chili's Grill & Bar1,269 postings
- 03Hilton1,017 postings
- 04French Lick Resort827 postings
- 05Applebee's813 postings
- 06Compass Group688 postings
- 07Hyatt642 postings
- 08Red Lobster541 postings
- 09Levy Restaurants498 postings
- 10Oak View Group476 postings
- 11Buffalo Wild Wings444 postings
- 12Landry's387 postings
- 13Sodexo375 postings
- 14Delaware North374 postings
- 15Omni Hotels & Resorts373 postings
- 16Caesars Entertainment358 postings
- 17Aramark352 postings
- 18AMC Theatres323 postings
- 19Flynn Restaurant Group285 postings
- 20Schulte Hospitality Group251 postings
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