Bartender Salary in Milwaukee, WI (2026)
Median in Milwaukee: $12.49/hour ($25,970/year) — $8,370 (24%) below the national median. Typical range: $21,250–$30,070.
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Milwaukee, WI metro · refreshed 2026-08-25 · Reviewed by Dalton Metzler · U.S. Bartender salary overview
The median Bartender salary in Milwaukee, WI is $12.49/hour ($25,970/year) ($8,370 (24%) below the national median), with a typical range of $21,250–$30,070. Data from BLS + Jobeezy ghost-filter (2026).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median | $12.49/hour ($25,970/year) | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
| 25th-75th pct | $21,250–$30,070 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
| Metro employment | ~7,330 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
Bartender pay distribution in Milwaukee, WI
National median: $34,340/yr. Milwaukee is $8,370 (24%) below the national median.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 — Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area (SOC 35-3011, Bartender).
What bartender pay in Milwaukee really looks like
Bartender pay in Milwaukee runs well below the national benchmark. The local median of about $12.49 an hour ($25,970 a year) lands $8,370 (24%) under the U.S. median of $34,340 — a gap wide enough that it should shape how you job-hunt here. Over a full year that is real money left on the table, and the spread between a bottom-of-market and a top-of-market bartender role in Milwaukee can be larger than the gap to the national number itself, so comparing employers matters more than chasing the average.
The local range is moderate — $21,250 at the 25th percentile to $30,070 at the 75th (BLS). Half of Milwaukee Bartenders earn inside that band, so it is a realistic target window: an offer near $30,070 is genuinely strong for the metro, while anything under $21,250 is worth pushing back on with the BLS figures in hand.
This is a substantial local market: BLS estimates roughly 7,330 bartender jobs across the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 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 Milwaukee against the BLS $25,970 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 Milwaukee is concrete: a metro median of $25,970 with most bartenders landing between $21,250 and $30,070. The practical move is to aim for the upper half of that band. Jobeezy fit-scores local bartender openings, surfaces the employers posting toward $30,070, and applies for you — so your time goes to the jobs that clear the Milwaukee median, not the ones that sit under it.
Bartender pay by hour, week, month & year in Milwaukee
| Period | Typical Pay |
|---|---|
| Per hour | $12.49 |
| Per week (40 hrs) | $500 |
| Per month | $2,164 |
| Per year | $25,970 |
How we know this — Milwaukee sources
Wage figures for Bartender in Milwaukee, WI are the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 estimate for the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area (MSA code 33340) (SOC 35-3011), released 2026-08-25. Suppressed cells are shown as an em dash, never a zero.
Grow your bartender pay in Milwaukee
Advancing your pay in Milwaukee 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
Related roles in Milwaukee
Beyond Bartender · same Milwaukee BLS datasetOther roles hiring in Milwaukee, WI alongside bartenders, drawn from the same BLS OEWS May 2025 dataset:
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Bartender pay in Milwaukee, WI — common questions
- How much does a Bartender make in Milwaukee, WI?
- The median Bartender salary in Milwaukee, WI is $12.49/hour ($25,970/year) ($8,370 (24%) below the national median), with a typical range of $21,250–$30,070 (25th–75th percentile). Figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-08-25.
- Is Milwaukee a strong pay market for Bartenders?
- At a $25,970 median, Milwaukee is $8,370 (24%) 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 Milwaukee?
- Target employers paying toward the $30,070 (75th-percentile) mark and anchor your negotiation to the BLS band. Jobeezy fit-scores Bartender openings in Milwaukee and auto-applies, so you reach more high-paying employers fast.
- How many Bartenders work in Milwaukee?
- BLS estimates roughly 7,330 bartender jobs across Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI (May 2025 metro employment — a count of jobs, not of salaries reported).