Bartenders vs Cooks, Fast Food: $34K vs $31K Median Pay

Bartenders vs Cooks, Fast Food: what changes?

Consider Bartenders if you want to mix and serve drinks to patrons, directly or through waitstaff. Consider Cooks, Fast Food if you would rather prepare and cook food in a fast food restaurant with a limited menu. Both list no formal educational credential; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Bartenders and Cooks, Fast Food. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Bartenders

National median pay (2025): $34,340
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Clean glasses, utensils, and bar equipment.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 121,200

Know before you choose

Long periods of standing are part of the normal workday.

See the full Bartenders brief

Cooks, Fast Food

National median pay (2025): $30,890
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Order and take delivery of supplies.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 86,400

Know before you choose

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0.6%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

See the full Cooks, Fast Food brief

How the national numbers differ

Bartenders has the edge on projected growth

Bartenders is at 5% projected growth, compared with 0.6% projected growth for Cooks, Fast Food.

Bartenders has the edge on annual openings

Bartenders is at 121,200 annual openings, compared with 86,400 annual openings for Cooks, Fast Food.

Bartenders has the edge on median pay

Bartenders is at $34,340, compared with $30,890 for Cooks, Fast Food.

58.9/ 100

Bartenders

47.8/ 100

Cooks, Fast Food

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence