Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of barista salary by state for the United States:
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Maine has the highest barista salary of $30,990
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Alaska has the lowest barista salary of $25,608
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The national average salary for baristas is $29,528
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The national hourly pay for baristas is $14.2
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Without fail, in surveys across basically every demographic, the number one most important aspect of a job for most people is the salary — how much do baristas get paid where I live?
And while there are many things to go into how much you, specifically, can expect to make, there’s really good data for average salaries for barista by state across America broken down by seniority level. So while your city may be slightly different than the state average, these averages give you a rough sense of what to expect for your salary.
The state with the best salary for baristas after this adjustment? That would be Maine.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for barista salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Baristas By State
| Rank | State | Average Barista Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | $30,990 | $26,000 | $36,000 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $30,896 | $25,000 | $37,000 |
| 3 | Vermont | $30,820 | $25,000 | $36,000 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $30,764 | $24,000 | $37,000 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $30,654 | $24,000 | $38,000 |
| 6 | California | $30,212 | $23,000 | $38,000 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $30,202 | $23,000 | $38,000 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $30,060 | $26,000 | $33,000 |
| 9 | New York | $29,821 | $23,000 | $38,000 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $29,534 | $22,000 | $37,000 |
| 11 | Nevada | $29,476 | $22,000 | $37,000 |
| 12 | Arizona | $29,064 | $22,000 | $37,000 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $29,059 | $22,000 | $37,000 |
| 14 | Oregon | $28,725 | $22,000 | $36,000 |
| 15 | Michigan | $28,700 | $22,000 | $36,000 |
| 16 | Delaware | $28,675 | $22,000 | $37,000 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $28,276 | $22,000 | $36,000 |
| 18 | Maryland | $28,237 | $21,000 | $36,000 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $28,138 | $22,000 | $35,000 |
| 20 | Ohio | $28,051 | $21,000 | $36,000 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $28,038 | $22,000 | $34,000 |
| 22 | Washington | $28,033 | $22,000 | $35,000 |
| 23 | Utah | $27,939 | $21,000 | $36,000 |
| 24 | Idaho | $27,899 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 25 | Illinois | $27,825 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 26 | New Mexico | $27,798 | $21,000 | $36,000 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $27,691 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 28 | Indiana | $27,560 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 29 | Virginia | $27,497 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 30 | Iowa | $27,457 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $27,435 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 32 | Texas | $27,298 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| 33 | Montana | $27,277 | $21,000 | $34,000 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $27,264 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 35 | Colorado | $27,226 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $27,166 | $21,000 | $35,000 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $27,087 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| 38 | Missouri | $27,042 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| 39 | Kansas | $27,000 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $26,884 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $26,757 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $26,714 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $26,688 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $26,677 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $26,435 | $20,000 | $34,000 |
| 46 | Alabama | $26,324 | $19,000 | $34,000 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $26,289 | $19,000 | $34,000 |
| 48 | Georgia | $26,255 | $19,000 | $34,000 |
| 49 | Florida | $26,033 | $19,000 | $34,000 |
| 50 | Alaska | $25,608 | $22,000 | $28,000 |
Methodology: Barista Salary By State
To better understand barista pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across a multitude of channels including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We then supplement that data with actual listed salaries from job posts. Finally, the data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for baristas by state.
We took the average annual salary data for baristas from these estimates and ranked every state on this criteria with the state with the highest salary ranking as highest average salary for baristas.
Barista Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for baristas?
The highest-paid state for baristas is Maine with an average salary of $30,990 per year.
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What city pays baristas the most?
Portland, ME pays baristas the most with an average salary of $30,977 per year.
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What is the worst state for baristas?
The worst state for baristas is Alaska with an average salary of $25,608 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
