Bartenders Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $25K, rent takes 75.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,381/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.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new bartenders typically earn — is $15K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $917/month.

Local pay runs 27% below the national median — $25K here vs. $34K nationally.

North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area pays $25K median vs. the U.S. average of $34K — that’s -27%.

The median is $24,940 a year, that works out to about $12 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $15,280, and experienced bartenders can clear $51,510. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,837/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,381/month, which eats 75.2% 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.

North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median bartenders salary is worth about $24,940 in national-average purchasing power.

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.