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

How much do Bartenders make in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Bartenders in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is $39,670. The 10th percentile is $36,000 and the 90th percentile is $90,520. Employment is 10,260.

Median annual wage

$39,670

10th percentile
$36,000
25th percentile
$38,240
Median
$39,670
75th percentile
$46,080
90th percentile
$90,520
Mean
$50,970

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Two cooks working in a commercial kitchen in 1930
Cooks in a Washington state kitchen, 1930. Seattle Municipal Archives. Photograph by Seattle Municipal Archives. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Bartenders, the published 10th percentile is $36,000 and the 90th percentile is $90,520. The difference is $54,520, which is 137.4% 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 $38,240 to the 75th at $46,080, covers $7,840.

The mean annual wage is $50,970, which sits above the median of $39,670. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median is 15.5% higher than the national median of $34,340 for Bartenders. In 2024 national prices the local median is $34,313, which is 0.1% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 9.5% higher than the California median of $36,220.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 115.613, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $39,670 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Bartenders at $34,313 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

16 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Bartenders. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ranks 2nd of 17 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).).

  • Vallejo, CA is 39 miles away, with a median of $36,870 and employment of 450. That median is 7.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $33,988, against $34,313 here.
  • Napa, CA is 51 miles away, with a median of $37,790 and employment of 580. That median is 4.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $33,575, against $34,313 here.
  • Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 55 miles away, with a median of $36,100 and employment of 560. That median is 9% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,849, against $34,313 here.

Employment share

Bartenders accounts for 0.43% of wage-and-salary employment in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (10,260 of 2,373,920). Nationally the occupation is 0.49% of employment (756,390 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.89 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA · 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Bartenders in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is $39,670. The 10th percentile is $36,000 and the 90th percentile is $90,520. Employment is 10,260.

How does that compare with the national median for Bartenders?

The local median is 15.5% higher than the national median of $34,340.

What is Bartenders pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 115.613, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $39,670 is $34,313. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA compare with nearby metros for Bartenders?

Vallejo, CA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 39 miles away, at $36,870. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ranks 2nd of 17 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.