Vermont Business Magazine Bartenders are one of the most common jobs in America and Vermont is the best state in which to be one, according to Zippia. In fact, Vermont is by far the best bartending state in the Northeast. A significant number of people work as bartenders in every state in the union. Zippia ranked the states based on available jobs and wages. While Vermont has the second fewest number of jobs overall, bartenders in Vermont have a very high relative wage.
Since bartenders are such a prominent occupation, the national employment resource Zippia wanted to look at where bartenders have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around, and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, Zippia dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for bartenders. After all the numbers had been crunched, Zippia was left with this list of the best of best for America’s bartenders:
So there you have it — Vermont is the best of the best when it comes to being a bartender.
How did it end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how Zippia completed our research on the best states for bartenders and for more on the top ten states.
How Zippia determined the best states to be a bartender
Zippia talks to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Its research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Pay
So in order to find out the best states for bartenders in America Zippia needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well bartenders get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2015:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is in a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows Zippia to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for bartenders in California is $28,910 and the average salary in Illinois is $23,180, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop an overall ranking, Zippia ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
Zippia then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for bartenders in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for bartenders.
1. Vermont
Total Jobs: 1,780
Average Annual Salary: $29,530
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,190
Average Experienced Salary: $48,490
Location Quotient: 1.38
2. Washington
Total Jobs: 13,680
Average Annual Salary: $30,480
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,890
Average Experienced Salary: $49,410
Location Quotient: 1.07
3. Alaska
Total Jobs: 1,680
Average Annual Salary: $31,090
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,840
Average Experienced Salary: $48,090
Location Quotient: 1.2
4. South Dakota
Total Jobs: 3,200
Average Annual Salary: $20,940
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,040
Average Experienced Salary: $24,870
Location Quotient: 1.81
5. Oregon
Total Jobs: 9,620
Average Annual Salary: $23,760
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,370
Average Experienced Salary: $32,950
Location Quotient: 1.3
6. Florida
Total Jobs: 40,330
Average Annual Salary: $28,230
Average Entry Level Salary: $17,430
Average Experienced Salary: $43,790
Location Quotient: 1.19
7. Hawaii
Total Jobs: 3,450
Average Annual Salary: $35,960
Average Entry Level Salary: $17,590
Average Experienced Salary: $58,490
Location Quotient: 1.3
8. Nevada
Total Jobs: 15,070
Average Annual Salary: $26,420
Average Entry Level Salary: $16,490
Average Experienced Salary: $38,100
Location Quotient: 2.86
9. Arizona
Total Jobs: 10,350
Average Annual Salary: $25,190
Average Entry Level Salary: $17,270
Average Experienced Salary: $40,060
Location Quotient: 0.94
10. California
Total Jobs: 57,690
Average Annual Salary: $28,910
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,180
Average Experienced Salary: $45,700
Location Quotient: 0.87
If you’re looking to start out your career as a bartender these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a bartender in America:
- Kansas
- Iowa
- Connecticut
Detailed List Of The Best States For Bartenders
| RANK | STATE | AVERAGE SALARY | ENTRY LEVEL SALARY | # OF PEOPLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | $29,530 | $19,190 | 1,780 |
| 2 | Washington | $30,480 | $19,890 | 13,680 |
| 3 | Alaska | $31,090 | $19,840 | 1,680 |
| 4 | South Dakota | $20,940 | $18,040 | 3,200 |
| 5 | Oregon | $23,760 | $19,370 | 9,620 |
| 6 | Florida | $28,230 | $17,430 | 40,330 |
| 7 | Hawaii | $35,960 | $17,590 | 3,450 |
| 8 | Nevada | $26,420 | $16,490 | 15,070 |
| 9 | Arizona | $25,190 | $17,270 | 10,350 |
| 10 | California | $28,910 | $19,180 | 57,690 |
| 11 | Utah | $25,070 | $16,650 | 2,400 |
| 12 | Colorado | $24,720 | $17,500 | 12,430 |
| 13 | Texas | $24,060 | $16,120 | 38,810 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $22,620 | $16,510 | 2,760 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $20,990 | $16,060 | 2,280 |
| 16 | South Carolina | $20,980 | $16,020 | 7,130 |
| 17 | Ohio | $20,650 | $17,250 | 23,360 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $20,520 | $16,170 | 3,380 |
| 19 | Missouri | $20,960 | $16,440 | 9,390 |
| 20 | Montana | $20,010 | $17,180 | 5,310 |
| 21 | Indiana | $21,490 | $16,080 | 12,770 |
| 22 | Virginia | $29,830 | $16,780 | 9,740 |
| 23 | Michigan | $21,820 | $17,430 | 17,100 |
| 24 | Illinois | $23,180 | $17,960 | 25,910 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $21,430 | $16,030 | 5,000 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $19,800 | $15,940 | 4,040 |
| 27 | Massachusetts | $26,550 | $18,880 | 18,130 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $21,820 | $18,870 | 3,180 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $19,950 | $17,020 | 5,860 |
| 30 | Alabama | $20,540 | $16,020 | 3,270 |
| 31 | Maine | $21,710 | $16,510 | 3,210 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $25,740 | $18,280 | 14,470 |
| 33 | New York | $26,380 | $18,490 | 42,140 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $22,460 | $16,100 | 11,390 |
| 35 | Idaho | $19,590 | $16,020 | 2,610 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $20,900 | $16,070 | 7,070 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $19,180 | $16,980 | 2,620 |
| 38 | Georgia | $21,600 | $16,070 | 9,900 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $19,980 | $16,020 | 2,490 |
| 40 | Minnesota | $20,970 | $17,180 | 17,470 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $19,550 | $16,140 | 2,130 |
| 42 | Pennsylvania | $20,680 | $16,150 | 31,420 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | $21,000 | $16,070 | 3,560 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $19,590 | $16,020 | 25,670 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $19,450 | $16,020 | 8,850 |
| 46 | Maryland | $24,530 | $17,140 | 9,750 |
| 47 | Delaware | $22,140 | $17,030 | 1,910 |
| 48 | Connecticut | $23,570 | $19,120 | 7,510 |
| 49 | Iowa | $18,410 | $15,930 | 7,810 |
| 50 | Kansas | $19,270 | $15,980 | 4,470 |