Is Chicago a strong pay market for Bartenders?

At a $31,200 median, Chicago is $3,140 (9%) below the national median. The U.S. median is $34,340. Jobeezy shows you which local employers actually pay at the top of that band before you apply.

How can I earn more as a Bartender in Chicago?

Target employers paying toward the $33,500 (75th-percentile) mark and anchor your negotiation to the BLS band. Jobeezy fit-scores Bartender openings in Chicago and auto-applies, so you reach more high-paying employers fast.

How many Bartenders work in Chicago?

BLS estimates roughly 28,750 bartender jobs across Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (May 2025 metro employment — a count of jobs, not of salaries reported).

Bartender Salary in Chicago, IL (2026)

Median in Chicago: $15.00/hour ($31,200/year) — $3,140 (9%) below the national median. Typical range: $31,200–$33,500.

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BLS OEWS May 2025 · Chicago, IL metro · refreshed 2026-08-25 · Reviewed by Dalton Metzler · U.S. Bartender salary overview

The median Bartender salary in Chicago, IL is $15.00/hour ($31,200/year) ($3,140 (9%) below the national median), with a typical range of $31,200–$33,500. Data from BLS + Jobeezy ghost-filter (2026).

Salary stats
Metric	Value	Source
Median	$15.00/hour ($31,200/year)	BLS OEWS May 2025
25th-75th pct	$31,200–$33,500	BLS OEWS May 2025
Metro employment	~28,750	BLS OEWS May 2025

### Key facts: Bartender pay in Chicago, IL BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data for Bartenders in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro. - Median Bartender pay in Chicago, IL: $15.00/hour ($31,200/year) (BLS OEWS May 2025). - That is $3,140 (9%) below the national median (U.S. median $34,340). - 25th-75th percentile band: $31,200–$33,500. - BLS estimated metro employment: ~28,750 jobs.

Bartender pay distribution in Chicago, IL

25th Pct (Chicago) $31,200 $15.00/hr

Median (Chicago) $31,200 $15.00/hr

75th Pct (Chicago) $33,500 $16.11/hr

National median: $34,340/yr. Chicago is $3,140 (9%) below the national median.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 — Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (SOC 35-3011, Bartender).

What bartender pay in Chicago really looks like

At about $15.00 an hour ($31,200 a year), Chicago pays modestly below the national market for bartenders — $3,140 (9%) under the U.S. median of $34,340. It is a real gap, but a beatable one: the higher end of the local range closes most of it, and a credential or a supervisory step can push a Chicago bartender past the national figure without leaving the metro.

Pay is tightly clustered here: the 25th-to-75th-percentile band runs just $31,200 to $33,500 (BLS). A narrow spread means the metro median is a dependable expectation rather than a midpoint between wildly different jobs — there is little room above it without a credential, a specialty, or a supervisory step, so the ladder up is about the role, not just the employer.

This is a substantial local market: BLS estimates roughly 28,750 bartender jobs across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (a count of metro employment, not a survey of reported salaries). A deep employer base is good news for pay — it means more openings to compare side by side, more turnover creating vacancies, and more leverage to hold out for an employer at the top of the local range instead of settling for the first offer that lands.

Right now, Jobeezy is tracking 24 open bartender jobs in Chicago against the BLS $31,200 benchmark — the live listings and the employers hiring are below, so you can see which openings actually clear the metro median before you apply.

Put it together and the picture for Chicago is concrete: a metro median of $31,200 with most bartenders landing between $31,200 and $33,500. The practical move is to aim for the upper half of that band. Jobeezy fit-scores local bartender openings, surfaces the employers posting toward $33,500, and applies for you — so your time goes to the jobs that clear the Chicago median, not the ones that sit under it.

Bartender pay by hour, week, month & year in Chicago

Period	Typical Pay
Per hour	$15.00
Per week (40 hrs)	$600
Per month	$2,600
Per year	$31,200

How we know this — Chicago sources

Wage figures for Bartender in Chicago, IL are the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 estimate for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (MSA code 16980) (SOC 35-3011), released 2026-08-25. Suppressed cells are shown as an em dash, never a zero.

Reviewed by Dalton Metzler · Jobeezy Compensation Data

Grow your bartender pay in Chicago

Advancing your pay in Chicago comes down to experience, credentials, and how you negotiate. We keep that guidance on the national Bartender guide so it stays current in one place:

Compare Bartender pay in nearby metros

Beyond Bartender · same Chicago BLS dataset

Other roles hiring in Chicago, IL alongside bartenders, drawn from the same BLS OEWS May 2025 dataset:

See all IL jobs → IL salary overview →

Bartender pay in Chicago, IL — common questions

How much does a Bartender make in Chicago, IL?: The median Bartender salary in Chicago, IL is $15.00/hour ($31,200/year) ($3,140 (9%) below the national median), with a typical range of $31,200–$33,500 (25th–75th percentile). Figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-08-25.
Is Chicago a strong pay market for Bartenders?: At a $31,200 median, Chicago is $3,140 (9%) below the national median. The U.S. median is $34,340. Jobeezy shows you which local employers actually pay at the top of that band before you apply.
How can I earn more as a Bartender in Chicago?: Target employers paying toward the $33,500 (75th-percentile) mark and anchor your negotiation to the BLS band. Jobeezy fit-scores Bartender openings in Chicago and auto-applies, so you reach more high-paying employers fast.
How many Bartenders work in Chicago?: BLS estimates roughly 28,750 bartender jobs across Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (May 2025 metro employment — a count of jobs, not of salaries reported).