SOC 35-3011 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025
How much do Bartenders make in Trenton-Princeton, NJ?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Bartenders in Trenton-Princeton, NJ is $38,800. The 10th percentile is $32,220 and the 90th percentile is $73,780. Employment is 580.
Median annual wage
$38,800
- 10th percentile
- $32,220
- 25th percentile
- $34,740
- Median
- $38,800
- 75th percentile
- $51,740
- 90th percentile
- $73,780
- Mean
- $47,250
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Bartenders, the published 10th percentile is $32,220 and the 90th percentile is $73,780. The difference is $41,560, which is 107.1% 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 $34,740 to the 75th at $51,740, covers $17,000.
The mean annual wage is $47,250, which sits above the median of $38,800. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Trenton-Princeton, NJ median is 13% higher than the national median of $34,340 for Bartenders. In 2024 national prices the local median is $37,604, which is 9.5% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 11.9% lower than the New Jersey median of $44,020.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Trenton-Princeton, NJ is 103.180, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $38,800 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Bartenders at $37,604 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. Trenton-Princeton, NJ ranks 12th 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).).
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is 42 miles away, with a median of $36,040 and employment of 14,210. That median is 7.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $35,142, against $37,604 here.
- Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ is 51 miles away, with a median of $32,220 and employment of 1,980. That median is 17% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,230, against $37,604 here.
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is 57 miles away, with a median of $61,220 and employment of 38,510. That median is 57.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $54,387, against $37,604 here.
Employment share
Bartenders accounts for 0.24% of wage-and-salary employment in Trenton-Princeton, NJ (580 of 240,190). Nationally the occupation is 0.49% of employment (756,390 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.50 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 Trenton-Princeton, NJ · 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 Trenton-Princeton, NJ?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Bartenders in Trenton-Princeton, NJ is $38,800. The 10th percentile is $32,220 and the 90th percentile is $73,780. Employment is 580.
How does that compare with the national median for Bartenders?
The local median is 13% higher than the national median of $34,340.
What is Bartenders pay in Trenton-Princeton, NJ after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Trenton-Princeton, NJ is 103.180, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $38,800 is $37,604. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Trenton-Princeton, NJ compare with nearby metros for Bartenders?
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 42 miles away, at $36,040. Trenton-Princeton, NJ ranks 12th of 37 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.