Food Preparation
Bartenders
SOC 35-3011
Mix and serve drinks while reading and working a busy bar.
The job
Median pay
$34k
$27k to $48k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+5.0% projected
Openings a year
121k
BLS projection
Typical education
No formal credential
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
15/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
11th pct
More exposed than 11% of occupations · modeled estimate · 63rd pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
49/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 71,470 | 3.9 | 0.8× | $36k |
| Texas | 59,000 | 4.2 | 0.9× | $23k |
| Florida | 55,170 | 5.6 | 1.1× | $35k |
| New York | 43,130 | 4.5 | 0.9× | $61k |
| Illinois | 43,010 | 7.1 | 1.4× | $31k |
| Pennsylvania | 37,490 | 6.2 | 1.3× | $28k |
| Wisconsin | 29,520 | 10.0 | 2.1× | $23k |
| Ohio | 27,420 | 4.9 | 1.0× | $31k |
| Minnesota | 24,420 | 8.3 | 1.7× | $27k |
| Michigan | 21,100 | 4.8 | 1.0× | $37k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 20,070 | 4.1 | 0.8× | $36k |
| Massachusetts | 19,850 | 5.5 | 1.1× | $37k |
| Colorado | 17,000 | 5.9 | 1.2× | $38k |
| Nevada | 16,830 | 10.8 | 2.2× | $27k |
| Washington | 16,800 | 4.7 | 1.0× | $56k |
| New Jersey | 16,260 | 3.8 | 0.8× | $44k |
| Arizona | 14,840 | 4.6 | 0.9× | $45k |
| Georgia | 14,600 | 3.0 | 0.6× | $23k |
| Missouri | 14,410 | 4.9 | 1.0× | $30k |
| Virginia | 13,370 | 3.3 | 0.7× | $47k |
| Maryland | 13,020 | 4.7 | 1.0× | $38k |
| Indiana | 12,880 | 4.0 | 0.8× | $23k |
| Oregon | 11,950 | 6.1 | 1.3× | $39k |
| South Carolina | 10,680 | 4.6 | 0.9× | $19k |
| Tennessee | 10,330 | 3.2 | 0.7× | $27k |
| Louisiana | 10,140 | 5.2 | 1.1× | $21k |
| Iowa | 9,560 | 6.1 | 1.3× | $22k |
| Connecticut | 7,680 | 4.5 | 0.9× | $39k |
| Nebraska | 7,320 | 7.1 | 1.5× | $30k |
| Kentucky | 6,870 | 3.4 | 0.7× | $29k |
| Alabama | 6,560 | 3.1 | 0.6× | $28k |
| Oklahoma | 5,860 | 3.4 | 0.7× | $25k |
| Washington DC | 5,760 | 8.2 | 1.7× | $54k |
| Kansas | 5,430 | 3.8 | 0.8× | $28k |
| Montana | 5,370 | 10.5 | 2.2× | $26k |
| North Dakota | 3,960 | 9.2 | 1.9× | $29k |
| South Dakota | 3,930 | 8.6 | 1.8× | $29k |
| New Hampshire | 3,840 | 5.6 | 1.2× | $29k |
| New Mexico | 3,790 | 4.4 | 0.9× | $37k |
| Hawaii | 3,540 | 5.6 | 1.2× | $76k |
| Idaho | 3,430 | 4.0 | 0.8× | $27k |
| Utah | 3,350 | 1.9 | 0.4× | $32k |
| West Virginia | 3,340 | 4.8 | 1.0× | $30k |
| Maine | 3,230 | 5.0 | 1.0× | $49k |
| Rhode Island | 3,170 | 6.3 | 1.3× | $36k |
| Arkansas | 3,020 | 2.3 | 0.5× | $25k |
| Delaware | 2,820 | 5.8 | 1.2× | $37k |
| Mississippi | 2,770 | 2.4 | 0.5× | $28k |
| Wyoming | 2,660 | 9.5 | 1.9× | $22k |
| Alaska | 2,280 | 7.0 | 1.4× | $30k |
| Vermont | 2,080 | 6.8 | 1.4× | $45k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ38,510 jobs · $61k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN28,750 jobs · $31k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA25,260 jobs · $36k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX18,300 jobs · $24k median
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI15,370 jobs · $28k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH14,840 jobs · $38k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV14,560 jobs · $48k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL14,510 jobs · $35k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Bartenders interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.