Baristas are counted inside BLS occupation 35-3023 (fast food and counter workers), which employed 3,854,050 people at a mean wage of $15.46 per hour as of May 2025. There is no standalone federal barista wage series, so honest barista pay statistics start with that classification fact. Every number below comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
TL;DR: the five headline barista employment statistics for 2026
- Baristas sit within SOC 35-3023; O*NET lists Baristas as detailed occupation 35-3023.01 (O*NET). No standalone barista series exists in BLS OEWS.
- Occupation 35-3023 employment: 3,854,050 nationally, May 2025 vintage (BLS OEWS).
- National mean wage $15.46 per hour, median $15.00; the middle 50% earn $13.32 to $17.34 (BLS OEWS).
- Highest state median: California at $20.33 per hour; lowest: Mississippi at $10.87 (BLS OEWS).
- OEWS wages include employer-reported tips but exclude overtime and benefits; employer-reported tips are widely considered undercounted for tipped roles (BLS OEWS FAQ).
The national numbers
From the May 2025 OEWS vintage for occupation 35-3023 (BLS OEWS tables), retrieved via the BLS public API on July 8, 2026 for our Barista Pay Report 2026:
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| National employment | 3,854,050 |
| Hourly mean | $15.46 |
| Hourly median | $15.00 |
| 10th percentile | $10.98 |
| 25th percentile | $13.32 |
| 75th percentile | $17.34 |
| 90th percentile | $20.51 |
| Annual mean | $32,150 |
Read these as the envelope for barista pay, not the exact barista average: 35-3023 also covers fast food counter workers, so cafe-heavy states and chains with tip pooling can sit above these figures.
State toplines
Same source and vintage, hourly median for 35-3023:
| State | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| California (highest median) | $20.33 | 449,840 |
| Washington | $18.13 | 94,710 |
| Colorado | $17.44 | 82,010 |
| New York | $16.95 | 168,620 |
| Texas | $13.34 | 460,530 |
| Florida | $13.98 | 235,400 |
| Oklahoma | $11.27 | 52,520 |
| Louisiana | $10.96 | 45,720 |
| Mississippi (lowest median) | $10.87 | 31,220 |
The full 50-state table, metro splits, and methodology live in our Barista Pay Report 2026, which is free to cite with attribution.
What the wage figures do and do not include
OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay: base rates plus tips as reported by employers, excluding overtime, premium pay, and benefits (BLS OEWS survey definitions). Employer-reported tips are widely considered undercounted for tipped roles like baristas, so real take-home per hour commonly runs above the published figure in busy shops. Tip amounts vary too much by shop and city for a verified national figure, so we report tipping norms only qualitatively. For chain-specific pay, see our Starbucks barista pay breakdown.
How to cite this page
Suggested citation: "Barista employment statistics 2026, Barista Life (baristalife.co), reviewed July 9, 2026. https://baristalife.co/blogs/blog/barista-employment-statistics-2026"
Quote any statistic here with attribution and a link to Barista Life, and credit BLS OEWS as the underlying source. Our compiled dataset is in the Barista Pay Report 2026.
Related reading
- Coffee statistics 2026: the flagship roundup
- Coffee shop industry statistics 2026
- Coffee price statistics 2026
FAQ
How much do baristas make in the US? The federal occupation that contains baristas (SOC 35-3023) shows a median of $15.00 and a mean of $15.46 per hour as of May 2025, before most tips. State medians range from $10.87 in Mississippi to $20.33 in California.
How many baristas are there in the US? There is no standalone barista count. The occupation containing baristas, fast food and counter workers, employed 3,854,050 people in May 2025 per BLS OEWS.
Do BLS barista wage figures include tips? Partially. OEWS wages include tips as reported by employers, but exclude overtime and benefits, and employer-reported tips are widely considered undercounted for tipped roles.
Last reviewed: July 9, 2026. Wage data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 vintage, occupation 35-3023. Information, not career advice.