St. Louis, MO-IL metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a bartender make in St. Louis, MO?

In the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan area, bartenders earned a median of $31,200 a year ($15.00 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 8,340 of these jobs there. That is 38% below the $49,990 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $28,600 and $59,180; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Illinois tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $25,850 in take-home pay.

Bartender pay in St. Louis, MO at a glance

Median salary

$31,200$15.00 per hour · $2,600 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$28,600$13.75/hr
25th percentile$29,120$14.00/hr
75th percentile$37,210$17.89/hr
90th percentile$59,180$28.45/hr
Jobs in this metro8,340Location quotient 1.28 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here38% belowAll-jobs median $49,990
Against Illinoisabout the same asStatewide median $31,200
Against the U.S.9% belowNational median $34,340

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Bartender salary in St. Louis, MO after taxes

$31,200
$15,000$65,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$31,200
Net 83%
Fed 5%
IL 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$25,850After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,154Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$994Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate17.2%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,564 / yr
Illinois state income tax$1,400 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,387 / yr

Bartenders pay range in St. Louis, MO, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What bartenders earned in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IL)
10th percentile$13.75/hr$2,383$28,600$23,889
25th percentile$14.00/hr$2,427$29,120$24,281
MedianMedian$15.00/hr$2,600$31,200$25,850
75th percentile$17.89/hr$3,101$37,210$30,381
90th percentile$28.45/hr$4,932$59,180$46,947

Is $31,200 a good salary in St. Louis, MO?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for bartenders next to both.

Median household income$80,196Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)95.14.9% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household38.9%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Do bartenders pay tax on tips?

Yes, but less than before. This job is on the Treasury's list of tipped occupations, so from 2025 through 2028 up to $25,000 a year of reported tips comes off federal taxable income, shrinking above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint). Social Security and Medicare are still owed on every tip, and most states still tax them. The BLS pay figures on this page already include tips as employers report them.

See what the tips deduction saves you →

Bartender pay in St. Louis, MO: common questions

What is the median salary for bartenders in St. Louis, MO-IL?

The BLS median annual wage for bartenders in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area was $31,200 in May 2025, about $2,600 a month or $15.00 an hour. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $31,200, so the metro pays about the same as the state.

What is the hourly pay for bartenders in St. Louis, MO-IL?

The median hourly wage for bartenders in St. Louis, MO-IL was $15.00 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $13.75 an hour and one in ten earned more than $28.45.

How many bartenders work in St. Louis, MO-IL?

BLS estimated 8,340 jobs for bartenders in the metro in May 2025, or 6.2 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.28 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for bartenders in St. Louis, MO-IL?

BLS wage estimates for bartenders in St. Louis, MO-IL run from $28,600 at the 10th percentile to $29,120 at the 25th, $37,210 at the 75th, and $59,180 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do bartenders take home after taxes in St. Louis, MO-IL?

On a median gross salary of $31,200, an estimated $25,850 lands in net take-home pay per year ($994 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,350 (an effective rate of 17.1%).

How much do bartenders make per month in St. Louis, MO-IL?

On the median annual salary of $31,200, gross monthly income is $2,600. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,154 per month (or $994 every two weeks).

Is $31,200 a good salary in St. Louis, MO-IL?

At $31,200, the median salary for bartenders is 38.9% of the St. Louis, MO-IL median household income ($80,196). It is 38% below the $49,990 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 95.1, so prices here run 4.9% below the U.S. average.