The U.S. bar market included 40,835 employer establishments in 2023. In May 2023, drinking places employed 411,940 people across occupations, from bartenders and servers to entertainers, managers, security guards, and technical specialists. The figures below describe the market using the Census Bureau’s 2023 County Business Patterns and the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for drinking places.
Table of contents
- Market size and total employment
- Management and business operations
- Entertainment and live-music roles
- Bartenders, servers, and food service
- Security and venue support
- Technical, creative, and specialist jobs
Market size and total employment
The Census Bureau counted 40,835 employer establishments in U.S. drinking places in 2023. This establishment count covers businesses with paid employees and provides a useful measure of the formal bar and drinking-place market. It is an establishment figure, not a count of individual bars, venues, rooms, or locations operating under a single broader business structure.
The BLS May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics counted 411,940 workers across all occupations in drinking places. For this dataset, the employment and wage measurements are tied specifically to drinking places and the May 2023 reference period. The market therefore combines a substantial front-of-house workforce with management, entertainment, security, cleaning, food preparation, and specialist roles.
| Market measure | Figure | Reference period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer establishments | 40,835 | 2023 | Census 2023 County Business Patterns |
| Employment, all occupations | 411,940 | May 2023 | BLS May 2023 OEWS Drinking Places |
| Median hourly wage, all occupations | $15.50 | May 2023 | BLS May 2023 OEWS Drinking Places |
| Mean hourly wage, all occupations | $18.17 | May 2023 | BLS May 2023 OEWS Drinking Places |
The overall median hourly wage was $15.50, while the mean hourly wage was $18.17. These are different measures: the median identifies the midpoint of the wage distribution, while the mean reflects the arithmetic average reported for all occupations. The figures should not be treated as a current 2026 wage estimate or as a forecast.
Management and business operations
Management occupations employed 17,310 people in drinking places in May 2023. They represented 4.20% of industry employment and had a mean hourly wage of $36.68. Within the management group, top executives employed 12,190 workers and represented 2.96% of industry employment.
The largest named management category was general and operations managers, with 12,140 workers and a mean annual wage of $76,300. Food service managers employed 4,160 workers and had a mean annual wage of $70,910. Operations specialties managers employed 360 workers, while managers, all other employed 260 workers and had a mean annual wage of $86,880.
Some management specialties had relatively small employment counts but higher reported wages. Chief executives employed 60 workers and had a mean annual wage of $164,810. Sales managers also employed 60 workers, with a mean annual wage of $97,860. Marketing managers employed 130 workers and had a mean annual wage of $88,120. The broader category of advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers employed 210 workers and had a mean hourly wage of $45.00.
Business and financial operations occupations employed 2,910 workers and had a mean annual wage of $61,130. Business operations specialists employed 2,380 workers and had a mean hourly wage of $26.60. Market research analysts and marketing specialists employed 1,050 workers and had a mean annual wage of $50,870. Financial specialists employed 530 workers and had a mean annual wage of $87,080, while accountants and auditors employed 530 workers and had a mean annual wage of $87,090.
Meeting, convention, and event planners employed 570 workers and had a mean annual wage of $53,210. Business operations specialists, all other employed 350 workers and had a mean annual wage of $66,100. Training and development specialists employed 50 workers and had a mean annual wage of $35,050. Together, these categories show that drinking-place employment includes planning, finance, marketing, training, and operational work in addition to service positions. All figures in this section are from the BLS May 2023 OEWS Drinking Places release.
Entertainment and live-music roles
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations employed 8,060 workers in drinking places in May 2023 and had a mean annual wage of $49,010. Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers employed 7,520 workers, representing 1.83% of industry employment. These categories are especially relevant to bars that operate as music venues, performance spaces, or nightlife destinations.
| Entertainment or media role | Employment | Wage or share | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers | 7,520 | 1.83% of industry employment | May 2023 BLS OEWS |
| Dancers and choreographers | 4,060 | $60,420 mean annual wage | May 2023 BLS OEWS |
| Dancers | 4,060 | $29.84 mean hourly wage | May 2023 BLS OEWS |
| Miscellaneous entertainers and performers, sports and related workers | 3,220 | $16.66 mean hourly wage | May 2023 BLS OEWS |
| Disc jockeys, except radio | 2,040 | $36,220 mean annual wage | May 2023 BLS OEWS |
| Producers and directors | 110 | $42,520 mean annual wage | May 2023 BLS OEWS |
Dancers and choreographers employed 4,060 workers and had a mean annual wage of $60,420. The more specific dancers category also listed 4,060 workers, with a mean hourly wage of $29.84. Miscellaneous entertainers and performers, sports and related workers employed 3,220 workers and had a mean hourly wage of $16.66. Disc jockeys, except radio, employed 2,040 workers and had a mean annual wage of $36,220.
Producers and directors employed 110 workers and had a mean annual wage of $42,520. Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other employed 1,190 workers and had a mean annual wage of $31,960. The BLS also reported 80 graphic designers in drinking places, with a mean annual wage of $48,070. These figures describe occupational employment in the industry; they do not indicate how often a particular venue hosted live music or performances.
Bartenders, servers, and food service
Food preparation and serving related occupations employed 343,620 workers in drinking places in May 2023. This group represented 83.42% of industry employment, making it the largest reported occupational grouping in the market. Bartenders alone employed 182,100 workers, representing 44.21% of industry employment, with a mean annual wage of $34,620.
| Food-service role | Employment | Reported wage or share |
|---|---|---|
| Bartenders | 182,100 | 44.21% of employment; $34,620 mean annual wage |
| Waiters and waitresses | 50,430 | $37,330 mean annual wage |
| First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers | 23,710 | $43,210 mean annual wage |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers | 14,480 | $31,500 mean annual wage |
| Chefs and head cooks | 2,160 | $55,940 mean annual wage |
Waiters and waitresses employed 50,430 workers and had a mean annual wage of $37,330. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers employed 23,710 workers and had a mean annual wage of $43,210. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers employed 14,480 workers and had a mean annual wage of $31,500.
Chefs and head cooks employed 2,160 workers and had a mean annual wage of $55,940. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners, employed 4,720 workers and had a mean annual wage of $32,970. The BLS May 2023 figures show how the bar market depends on a broad service operation: beverage service is central, but food preparation, supervision, guest service, cleaning, and support work are all represented.
Security and venue support
Protective service occupations employed 18,540 workers in drinking places in May 2023 and accounted for 4.50% of industry employment. Security guards made up 18,200 of those workers and had a mean annual wage of $34,320.
The security-guard figure is a reminder that nightlife employment extends beyond customer service and entertainment. Security work can appear as its own occupational category in the BLS industry data, alongside the food-service and performance roles that receive more public attention. The reported employment count and wage are for May 2023, and they describe workers classified in drinking places rather than a projection for future venue staffing.
Educational instruction and library occupations employed 90 workers in drinking places in May 2023. Self-enrichment teachers also employed 90 workers. These are small categories in the dataset, but they show that the occupational profile includes specialized activity beyond the core bar floor.
Technical, creative, and specialist jobs
Drinking places also employed workers in technology, communications, science, design, and audiovisual production. Computer and mathematical occupations had a mean hourly wage of $43.40 in May 2023. Computer occupations had a mean annual wage of $90,250. Software and web developers, programmers, and testers had a mean hourly wage of $45.22, while web and digital interface designers had a mean annual wage of $94,050.
Media and communication workers had a mean annual wage of $50,870. Public relations specialists had a mean annual wage of $52,840. Media and communication equipment workers employed 250 workers and had a mean annual wage of $45,140. Audio and video technicians employed 120 workers and had a mean annual wage of $49,180, while sound engineering technicians employed 90 workers and had a mean annual wage of $38,490.
The industry also included life, physical, and social science occupations, which employed 50 workers and had a mean annual wage of $37,480. Food science technicians employed 40 workers and had a mean annual wage of $33,540. These figures are small beside bartender and server employment, but they add context for venues and businesses with technical, production, marketing, or specialized food-related needs.
The BLS May 2023 OEWS data also reported 250 media and communication equipment workers, 120 audio and video technicians, and 90 sound engineering technicians in drinking places. For live-music venues, those categories are the clearest quantified indicators in this dataset of the labor supporting sound, video, and event production. They should be read as occupation-specific measurements for the drinking-place industry, not as a count of every freelancer, contractor, touring artist, or unpaid performer connected to nightlife.