How much do Bartenders make in Reading, PA?

Percentile spread

For Bartenders, the published 10th percentile is $17,890 and the 90th percentile is $62,280. The difference is $44,390, which is 157.1% 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 $21,340 to the 75th at $45,610, covers $24,270.

The mean annual wage is $35,110, which sits above the median of $28,260. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Reading, PA median is 17.7% lower than the national median of $34,340 for Bartenders. In 2024 national prices the local median is $29,116, which is 15.2% 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 Pennsylvania median of $28,420.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Reading, PA is 97.060, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $28,260 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Bartenders at $29,116 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

36 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Bartenders. Reading, PA ranks 28th of 37 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).).

• Lebanon, PA is 28 miles away, with a median of $26,090 and employment of 380. That median is 7.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $27,989, against $29,116 here.
• Lancaster, PA is 31 miles away, with a median of $28,280 and employment of 1,390. That median is 0.1% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $28,782, against $29,116 here.
• Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ is 38 miles away, with a median of $32,220 and employment of 1,980. That median is 14% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,230, against $29,116 here.

Employment share

Bartenders accounts for 0.63% of wage-and-salary employment in Reading, PA (1,100 of 174,670). Nationally the occupation is 0.49% of employment (756,390 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.29 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.