Bartender Salary in Washington, DC (2026)
Median in Washington: $23.09/hour ($48,030/year) — $13,690 (40%) above the national median. Typical range: $37,070–$74,510.
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Washington, DC metro · refreshed 2026-08-25 · Reviewed by Dalton Metzler · U.S. Bartender salary overview
The median Bartender salary in Washington, DC is $23.09/hour ($48,030/year) ($13,690 (40%) above the national median), with a typical range of $37,070–$74,510. Data from BLS + Jobeezy ghost-filter (2026).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median | $23.09/hour ($48,030/year) | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
| 25th-75th pct | $37,070–$74,510 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
| Metro employment | ~14,560 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
Bartender pay distribution in Washington, DC
National median: $34,340/yr. Washington is $13,690 (40%) above the national median.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 — Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (SOC 35-3011, Bartender).
What bartender pay in Washington really looks like
Washington is a standout-pay market for bartenders. The local median of about $23.09 an hour ($48,030 a year) runs $13,690 (40%) above the national median of $34,340, one of the widest premiums in the country for this occupation. Offers benchmarked to U.S.-wide averages will read far too low here — hold out for the local number, and treat the metro median as your floor, not your target.
Pay is spread wide across the metro: BLS puts the 25th percentile at $37,070 and the 75th at $74,510. A band that broad usually reflects a real mix of employers, shifts, and seniority — which means where you apply changes your pay as much as the job title does. The same bartender role can pay very differently across two Washington employers, so it pays to target the top of the band deliberately.
This is a substantial local market: BLS estimates roughly 14,560 bartender jobs across the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 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 Washington against the BLS $48,030 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 Washington is concrete: a metro median of $48,030 with most bartenders landing between $37,070 and $74,510. The practical move is to aim for the upper half of that band. Jobeezy fit-scores local bartender openings, surfaces the employers posting toward $74,510, and applies for you — so your time goes to the jobs that clear the Washington median, not the ones that sit under it.
Bartender pay by hour, week, month & year in Washington
| Period | Typical Pay |
|---|---|
| Per hour | $23.09 |
| Per week (40 hrs) | $924 |
| Per month | $4,002 |
| Per year | $48,030 |
How we know this — Washington sources
Wage figures for Bartender in Washington, DC are the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 estimate for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (MSA code 47900) (SOC 35-3011), released 2026-08-25. Suppressed cells are shown as an em dash, never a zero.
Grow your bartender pay in Washington
Advancing your pay in Washington 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 Washington
Beyond Bartender · same Washington BLS datasetOther roles hiring in Washington, DC alongside bartenders, drawn from the same BLS OEWS May 2025 dataset:
- 01Washington · DC · median $102,710Registered Nurse pay in Washington
- 02Washington · DC · median $78,110Sales Representative pay in Washington
- 03Washington · DC · median $156,460Operations Manager pay in Washington
- 04Washington · DC · median $104,330Logistics Coordinator pay in Washington
- 05Washington · DC · median $67,960Warehouse Supervisor pay in Washington
- 06Washington · DC · median $119,170Dental Hygienist pay in Washington
- 07Washington · DC · median $46,640Medical Assistant pay in Washington
- 08Washington · DC · median $75,930Electrician pay in Washington
Bartender pay in Washington, DC — common questions
- How much does a Bartender make in Washington, DC?
- The median Bartender salary in Washington, DC is $23.09/hour ($48,030/year) ($13,690 (40%) above the national median), with a typical range of $37,070–$74,510 (25th–75th percentile). Figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-08-25.
- Is Washington a strong pay market for Bartenders?
- At a $48,030 median, Washington is $13,690 (40%) above 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 Washington?
- Target employers paying toward the $74,510 (75th-percentile) mark and anchor your negotiation to the BLS band. Jobeezy fit-scores Bartender openings in Washington and auto-applies, so you reach more high-paying employers fast.
- How many Bartenders work in Washington?
- BLS estimates roughly 14,560 bartender jobs across Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (May 2025 metro employment — a count of jobs, not of salaries reported).