Bartending Career Statistics
- 2 out of 5 bartenders work part-time.
- Bartenders must be efficient, courteous, and friendly, since a large portion of their earnings is from tips.
- Job openings are usually high, but competition for the best (highest-paying) companies is always high.
- Evening, holiday, and weekend work is common.
- Shift work is also common - working for a few hours early in the day, getting a few hours off, and then returning in the evening.
- About one quarter of food and beverage workers are between 16 and 19 years old - five times the average.
- There were about 463,000 bartending jobs in 2002.
- Bartenders are usually at least 21 years old; many bars prefer to hire bartenders over 25.
- Bartenders earned an average (median) hourly wage of $7.21, including tips, in 2002. The middle 50% earned between $6.33 and $9.02/hour. Some bartenders earn $12/hour or more.
- As of 2005, there were 8,109 members from 129 countries in the Flair Bartending Association.
- According to 2003 Canadian statistics, experienced bartenders earned an average hourly wage of $7.11 (Canadian).
