Baristas Career, Salary and Skills
Baristas have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $31,200 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 3,854,050. Wage data is published for 447 locations.
Occupation description
Prepare or serve specialty coffee or other beverages. Serve food such as baked goods or sandwiches to patrons.
O*NET code
35-3023.01
Job zone
2
Typical education
Not recorded
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$31,200
Hourly median
$15.00
Employment
3,854,050
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
$22,840
10th
$27,700
25th
$31,200
Median
$36,070
75th
$42,650
90th
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Service Orientation | 3.38 | 2.88 |
| Active Listening | 3.38 | 2.62 |
| Speaking | 3.25 | 2.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.00 | 2.50 |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Coordination | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Critical Thinking | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Operation and Control | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Active Learning | 2.50 | 2.50 |
Typical tasks
- Receive and process customer payments.
- Prepare or serve hot or cold beverages, such as coffee, espresso drinks, blended coffees, or teas.
- Take customer orders and convey them to other employees for preparation.
- Clean service or seating areas.
- Prepare or serve menu items, such as sandwiches or salads.
- Wrap, label, or date food items for sale.
- Check temperatures of freezers, refrigerators, or heating equipment to ensure proper functioning.
- Clean or sanitize work areas, utensils, or equipment.
Technology
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Word
Baristas salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Baristas Salary in TXMedian $27,740 · Employment 460,530
- Baristas Salary in CAMedian $42,280 · Employment 449,840
- Baristas Salary in FLMedian $29,080 · Employment 235,400
- Baristas Salary in NYMedian $35,250 · Employment 168,620
- Baristas Salary in New York, NYMedian $35,420 · Employment 166,040
- Baristas Salary in OHMedian $28,430 · Employment 163,560
- Baristas Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $42,110 · Employment 160,270
- Baristas Salary in GAMedian $26,920 · Employment 145,030
- Baristas Salary in PAMedian $28,570 · Employment 142,220
- Baristas Salary in Dallas, TXMedian $28,070 · Employment 128,380
- Baristas Salary in ILMedian $33,910 · Employment 127,590
- Baristas Salary in Houston, TXMedian $27,570 · Employment 105,810
Related careers
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving WorkersNational median $44,080
- Butchers and Meat CuttersNational median $40,140
- Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and TendersNational median $44,810
- Cooks, Institution and CafeteriaNational median $37,450
- Food Service ManagersNational median $69,390
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee ShopNational median $31,200
- Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related WorkersNational median $41,380
- DishwashersNational median $34,810
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.