SOC 35-3011 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025

How much do Bartenders make in Appleton, WI?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Bartenders in Appleton, WI is $23,330. The 10th percentile is $17,270 and the 90th percentile is $42,000. Employment is 1,230.

Median annual wage

$23,330

10th percentile
$17,270
25th percentile
$21,370
Median
$23,330
75th percentile
$29,500
90th percentile
$42,000
Mean
$27,450

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A scientist working at a laboratory bench
A scientist in a laboratory. Photograph by Mark Shwartz, Stanford ENERGY. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5

Percentile spread

For Bartenders, the published 10th percentile is $17,270 and the 90th percentile is $42,000. The difference is $24,730, which is 106.0% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $21,370 to the 75th at $29,500, covers $8,130.

The mean annual wage is $27,450, which sits above the median of $23,330. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Appleton, WI median is 32.1% lower than the national median of $34,340 for Bartenders. In 2024 national prices the local median is $25,244, which is 26.5% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 0.6% lower than the Wisconsin median of $23,460.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Appleton, WI is 92.419, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $23,330 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Bartenders at $25,244 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

20 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Bartenders. Appleton, WI ranks 11th of 21 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Oshkosh-Neenah, WI is 20 miles away, with a median of $23,120 and employment of 960. That median is 0.9% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $24,879, against $25,244 here.
  • Green Bay, WI is 22 miles away, with a median of $23,380 and employment of 1,620. That median is 0.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $25,117, against $25,244 here.
  • Fond du Lac, WI is 38 miles away, with a median of $23,330 and employment of 380. That median is about the same as the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $25,457, against $25,244 here.

Employment share

Bartenders accounts for 0.99% of wage-and-salary employment in Appleton, WI (1,230 of 124,230). Nationally the occupation is 0.49% of employment (756,390 of 155,495,730). The local share is 2.04 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Appleton, WI · Bartenders by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Bartenders make in Appleton, WI?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Bartenders in Appleton, WI is $23,330. The 10th percentile is $17,270 and the 90th percentile is $42,000. Employment is 1,230.

How does that compare with the national median for Bartenders?

The local median is 32.1% lower than the national median of $34,340.

What is Bartenders pay in Appleton, WI after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Appleton, WI is 92.419, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $23,330 is $25,244. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Appleton, WI compare with nearby metros for Bartenders?

Oshkosh-Neenah, WI is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 20 miles away, at $23,120. Appleton, WI ranks 11th of 21 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.