Bartenders Salary
In Illinois, bartenders earn $31,200 at the median, or about $15 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $47K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.85), which stretches that salary to about $33,245 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,407/month, about 66.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Illinois. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $31K actually covers in Illinois, month by month
About bartenders
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What this looks like in Illinois
Bartenders pay in Illinois tracks closely to the national median, $31K locally vs. $34K nationwide, a 9% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,407/month, which is 66.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.85 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 6% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Illinois
Entry-level bartenders (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $31K. Top earners bring in $47K or more, a $15K spread from bottom to top.
Bartenders salary by metro in Illinois
8 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington | $31K | +0% | 580 |
| Champaign-Urbana | $31K | +0% | 1,070 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $31K | +0% | 28,750 |
| Decatur | $31K | +0% | 320 |
| Kankakee | $31K | +0% | 290 |
| Peoria | $31K | +0% | 1,330 |
| Rockford | $31K | +0% | 1,220 |
| Springfield | $31K | +0% | 870 |
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Illinois numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a bartender afford a 2BR apartment alone in Illinois?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $31K, rent takes 66.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,407/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for bartenders in Illinois?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new bartenders typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,130/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 66% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is bartender a high-paying job in Illinois?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $31K locally vs. $34K nationally, a 9% difference.
How does Illinois compare to the national average for bartenders?
Illinois pays $31K median vs. the U.S. average of $34K — that’s -9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $33K — below the national median.
How much do bartenders make in Illinois?
The median is $31,200 a year, that works out to about $15 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,200, and experienced bartenders can clear $46,520. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $31K enough to live in Illinois?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,130/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 66.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a bartenders salary go in Illinois?
Illinois has a Regional Price Parity of 93.85 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median bartenders salary is worth about $33,245 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do bartenders get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.