Career
Bartenders
Mix drinks and look after the people at the bar.
$34,340
Median pay
+5.0%
Job growth, 2025–35
121,200
Openings a year
No formal educational credential
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Clean glasses, utensils, and bar equipment.
- Collect money for drinks served.
- Balance cash receipts.
- Check identification of customers to verify age requirements for purchase of alcohol.
- Clean bars, work areas, and tables.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Clean glasses, utensils, and bar equipment.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $34,340 a year and 121,200 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Bartending/BartenderCIP 12.0502
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Waiters and Waitresses$35,230 · +2.0%
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers$33,980 · +5.3%
- Fast Food and Counter Workers$31,200 · +5.8%
- Baristas
- Food Preparation Workers$35,320 · -3.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.