Bartenders

What Bartenders Do

Mix and serve drinks to patrons, directly or through waitstaff.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Short-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

0.4%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.4/5
• English Languageimportance 3.6/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 3.2/5
• Sales and Marketingimportance 3.1/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.0/5
• Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
• Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 2.8/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Contact With Others4.7/5
• Spend Time Standing4.6/5
• Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.3/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.2/5
• Physical Proximity4.1/5
• Freedom to Make Decisions4.0/5

Related Careers

• Waiters and Waitresses
• Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
• Fast Food and Counter Workers
• Food Preparation Workers
• Chefs and Head Cooks
• Food Service Managers
• First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
• Cooks, Restaurant

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling97% skill match
• Funeral Home Managers96% skill match
• Lodging Managers96% skill match
• Fire Inspectors and Investigators95% skill match
• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers95% skill match
• Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers95% skill match
• Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare95% skill match
• Compliance Officers95% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Service Orientationimportance 3.6/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.3/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.1/5
• Instructingimportance 3.0/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
• Negotiationimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Social Orientation
• Dependability
• Self-Control
• Stress Tolerance
• Optimism
• Integrity
• Cooperation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• RealisticMedium
• ConventionalMedium
• EnterprisingMedium
• SocialMedium
• ArtisticLow
• InvestigativeLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where bartenders make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Sandusky, OH2.92× national avg
2. 2La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN2.91× national avg
3. 3Johnstown, PA2.81× national avg
4. 4Duluth, MN-WI2.70× national avg
5. 5Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC2.53× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender HelpersLateral Move
• Waiters and WaitressesLateral Move
• Fast Food and Counter WorkersLateral Move
• First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving WorkersLateral Move

See the full career path from Bartenders →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.