Bartenders pay range in Santa Maria
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $34,320 a year or less, while the top 10% make $64,640 or more. The middle half of bartenders in Santa Maria earn between $34,660 and $37,050.
- $34K10th
- $35K25th
- $36KMedian
- $37K75th
- $65K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $43,160 | $3,597 | $20.75 |
| Median | $35,810 | $2,984 | $17.22 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $34,660 | $2,888 | $16.66 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $37,050 | $3,088 | $17.81 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Bartenders salary after taxes in Santa Maria
On the average salary of $43,160, a single filer in Santa Maria takes home about $35,997 a year, or $3,000 a month and $1,384 every two weeks. Taxes take 17% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is Santa Maria a good place for bartenders? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Santa Maria area are 9% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 108.8), so the average $43,160 buys what about $39,670 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Santa Maria ($51,690). A typical home costs $1,005,339, or 23.3 years of this average salary before tax.
Bartenders salary in other California cities
Santa Maria ranks 15th of 25 California metro areas for this job; San Francisco pays the most ($50,970).
- San Francisco$50,970
- San Jose$50,890
- San Luis Obispo$47,350
- San Diego$46,900
- Napa$46,780
- Santa Rosa$46,650
- Salinas$46,550
- Sacramento$46,320
- Oxnard$45,270
- Santa Maria$43,160
Highest-paying cities for bartenders
Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($91,360).
- Kahului, HI$91,360
- Honolulu, HI$72,660
- New York, NY$63,630
- Seattle, WA$62,090
- Portland, ME$60,600
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Bartenders salary in Santa Maria: questions
How much do bartenders make an hour in Santa Maria?
$20.75 an hour on average, and $17.22 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level bartenders salary in Santa Maria?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $34,320 a year and the 25th percentile is $34,660, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the bartenders take-home pay in Santa Maria?
About $35,997 a year ($3,000 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $43,160. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do bartenders earn more in Santa Maria than elsewhere?
The average here is 4% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($41,635).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 35-3011; area Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (42200). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.3%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.19, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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