An official website of Washington State government
Bartenders
Mix and serve drinks to patrons, directly or through waitstaff.
What a bartender does
Become a bartender
If you enjoy doing these activities, you might make a good bartender
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
- Talking to others.
- Looking for ways to help people.
- Understanding people's reactions.
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Discover what you could earn in Washington
- Typical hourly rate is $36 per hour with a typical salary of $40,500 per year.
- Half of workers earn between $24 and $42 per hour.
- Half of workers earn an annual salary between $5,400 and $37,400 per year.
- 40% of individuals in this occupation have been employed in every quarter of the past year.
Part-time
- The typical hourly rate for part-time workers is $36 per hour with a typical salary of $32,600 per year.
- 95.8% of individuals in this occupation worked part-time during the past year.
Bartender job outlook
- There are 14,024 workers in this occupation in Washington.
- There are 3,808 openings per year in this occupation in Washington.
Multiple Jobs
- 10% of individuals in this occupation worked for more than one employer.
- 41% of individuals in this occupation held a position in another.