Bartenders Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $18K, rent takes 111.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,505/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $400/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 $905/month.

Local pay runs 48% below the national median — $18K here vs. $34K nationally.

Northeastern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area pays $18K median vs. the U.S. average of $34K — that’s -48%.

The median is $17,810 a year, that works out to about $9 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $15,080, and experienced bartenders can clear $52,130. The mean (average) is $27,150, reflecting that some workers earn substantially more. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,347/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,505/month, which eats 111.7% 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.

Northeastern South Carolina 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 $17,810 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.