# Bartenders

> Mix and serve drinks to patrons, directly or through waitstaff.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bartenders
- SOC code: 35-3011.00
- Career family: Food service
- Median annual pay: $34,340 (10th percentile $20,110, 90th percentile $73,770)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +5.0%
- Openings a year: 121,200
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 61 |
| Investigative (I) | 0 |
| Artistic (A) | 22 |
| Social (S) | 46 |
| Enterprising (E) | 48 |
| Conventional (C) | 59 |

## What you'd do

- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 77/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 75/100)
- Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information (importance 69/100)
- Getting Information (importance 69/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 67/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 66/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 66/100)
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People (importance 65/100)
- Monitoring and Controlling Resources (importance 64/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 62/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Persuasion, Speaking, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Instructing

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management, Public Safety and Security, Mathematics, Personnel and Human Resources, Law and Government, Sociology and Anthropology

## Also called

Banquet Bartender, Bar Attendant, Bar Captain, Bar Tender, Barkeep, Barkeeper, Barmaid, Barman, Bartender, Catering Bartender

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Culinary Arts and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1205) (CIP 1205, 510 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Culinary Institute of America-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/culinary-institute-of-america-new-york-729) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $48,130 | $61,944 | $22,875 |
| [Johnson & Wales University-Providence](https://www.collegesref.com/college/johnson-wales-university-providence-1346) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $45,406 | $55,056 | $27,000 |
| [SUNY College of Technology at Delhi](https://www.collegesref.com/college/suny-college-of-technology-at-delhi-2651) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $37,680 | $51,716 | $22,199 |
| [Drexel University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/drexel-university-834) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | not reported | $48,094 | not reported |
| [Walnut Hill College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/walnut-hill-college-3154) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $37,008 | $47,308 | $27,000 |
| [Nicholls State University-Louisiana](https://www.collegesref.com/college/nicholls-state-university-louisiana-1873) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $32,721 | $46,969 | $24,750 |

## Related careers

- [Waiters and Waitresses](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/waiters-and-waitresses): $35,230 median pay
- [Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/dining-room-and-cafeteria-attendants-and-bartender-helpers): $33,980 median pay
- [Fast Food and Counter Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/fast-food-and-counter-workers): $31,200 median pay
- [Baristas](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/baristas): $31,200 median pay
- [Food Preparation Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-preparation-workers): $35,320 median pay
- [Chefs and Head Cooks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/chefs-and-head-cooks): $62,470 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.