SalaryExplorer

SOC 35-9011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers — Clarksville

Clarksville, TN-KY · 9 metro areas compared

$25,940 /year
$12.47per hour
200jobs in area
−23.7%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Clarksville, TN is $25,940 a year, trailing the national median of $33,980 by 23.7%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $33,98010TH$19,28025TH$21,240MEDIAN$25,94075TH$29,56090TH$34,620

How pay has moved

$29,850$16,7102019202020212022202320242025$25,940
$19,850 in 2019 to $25,940 in 2025, +30.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+6.3%
Openings per year
99,600
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Clarksville, TN-KY.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay for this occupation in Clarksville, TN is $25,940 a year, trailing the national median of $33,980 by 23.7%. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $21,240 and $29,560. The lowest tenth earn under $19,280, while the highest tenth earn more than $34,620.

The area has 200 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 1.9 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Memphis records the highest median at $34,740. Of the 311 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 308th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Clarksville, TN-KY · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$19,280−43.3%
25th$21,240−37.5%
Median (50th)$25,940−23.7%
75th$29,560−13.0%
90th$34,620+1.9%
Mean$25,960−23.6%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Tennessee

Median annual wage for Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Memphis$34,7402,070
2Knoxville$30,0801,530
3Nashville$29,5203,990
4Morristown$28,420190
5Chattanooga$27,870650
6Kingsport$26,620250
7Jackson$24,850260
8Cleveland$24,240350
9Johnson City$22,320270

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Clarksville run 9.1% below the national average, so the median of $25,940 goes as far as $28,537 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 16.0% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$25,940as reported by BLS

Local price level

90.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$28,537US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $25,940 a year, 23.7% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $19,280 to $34,620 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 200 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Memphis, at $34,740.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers in Clarksville, TN?

The median annual wage is $25,940, or $12.47 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $33,980, so pay in Clarksville, TN is 23.7% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Clarksville, TN earns more than $34,620 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $19,280 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Memphis, at $34,740 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 200 jobs in this occupation in Clarksville, TN. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers Salary in Clarksville, TN (2025): $25,940 Median | Salary Explorer