Mix and serve drinks, take payment, and keep the bar stocked, clean, and welcoming to guests.
Bars, restaurants, hotels, and clubs
Nights, weekends, and holidays
May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.
Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.
“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.
No formal credential
Training path: On-the-job training, paid from day one.
Many states require an alcohol-server permit, and some also require a bartending or age-based license.
You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.
Tips can make it pay well in busy venues, though hours are late and income depends on foot traffic.
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Standard Occupational Classification 35-3011. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.