Hourly Wages for Baristas

by Michael Roennevig

You're not going to earn a fortune working as a barista in a coffee house, but you can pick up valuable customer service skills that can add to your resume. Around half of barista positions are part-time and are typically filled by younger workers between 16 and 19, making the job a good option for those fresh out of high school and college students. The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies the job under its "Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop" category.

Hourly Rate

The median rate of pay for the job category that includes baristas was was $8.90 an hour in 2011, up from $8.83 the previous year, according to BLS data. The average rate was $9.35 per hour. The best paid 10 percent of coffee shop counter workers earn $12 an hour. The lowest paid 10 percent earn $7.73 an hour, which is barely more than the national minimum wage.


By industry sector, coffee shop counter attendants working in technical and trade schools are best rewarded for their toil, taking home a mean hourly wage of $16.59. Serving drinks in limited-service eating places pays a comparatively paltry $8.85. Workers providing refreshments to consumers in the motion picture and video industries fare only marginally better, with a mean hourly rate of $8.88.


If you're thinking of working as a barista and want to be paid top dollar by industry standards, head west. Coffee bar attendants in Nevada are the best paid in the country, enjoying a mean hourly wage of $11.07. Their fellow workers in Texas fare less well in the salary stakes, earning $8.47 an hour. The District of Columbia, which is grouped among the states, pays its counter attendants $10.58 an hour. It ranks second behind Nevada in terms of pay. On the other end of the scale, Rhode Island and South Dakota pay $8.98 and $8.82 an hour, respectively.

Metro Areas

When it comes to metropolitan areas, coffee servers in Bend, Oregon get the highest wagest, with a mean hourly rate of $12.29. Reno-Sparks, Nevada is the ranks second, paying its coffee shop workers $12.11 an hour. Those in Burlington, Vermont and Battle Creek, Michigan don't do as well, taking home a mean hourly wage of $11.08 and $11.36, respectively.

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