Career Explorer Food and hospitality
Human edge, growing
Bartenders
Mix and serve drinks to patrons, directly or through waitstaff.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 81% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is moderate (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it moderate), and US jobs are projected to change by +5.0% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $34,340
- Job growth to 2035
- +5.0%
- Openings a year
- 121,000
- People doing it (2025)
- 763,000
- Usual route in
- No formal credential, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Maintain safety or security
- Execute financial transactions
- Respond to customer problems or inquiries
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Provide food or beverage services
- Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures
- Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects
What the work looks like
- Clean glasses, utensils, and bar equipment.
- Collect money for drinks served.
- Balance cash receipts.
- Check identification of customers to verify age requirements for purchase of alcohol.
- Clean bars, work areas, and tables.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as establishments adopt automatic pouring, measuring, and mixing beverage systems.
- More of these jobs, as movie theaters increasingly offer more diverse concessions, including alcoholic beverages and traditional restaurant experiences.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Exercise trainers and group fitness instructorsHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +7.3%
- Healthcare support workers, all otherHuman edge, growing, Index 83, +4.8%
- Physical therapist aidesHuman edge, growing, Index 87, +4.0%
- Costume attendantsHuman edge, growing, Index 90, +5.9%
Also known as: Banquet Bartender, Bar Captain, Bartender, Mixologist.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.