For many coffee fanatics, the idea of being a Starbucks barista is a dream job. It’s an opportunity to mingle with fellow coffee lovers and craft exciting beverages while earning a decent living.
But the big question is, how much does a Starbucks barista make per hour, and how do Starbucks wages vary by location?
This 2022 salary update will give you an idea of what to expect if you want to become a barista as a side job or main source of income.
Starbucks recently announced a new minimum wage of $15 an hour, with an average wage of $17 an hour.
Who is a Barista?
According to Merriam-Webster, the term “barista” originated in Italy as a name for someone who is a trained mixologist of both alcoholic and coffee-based beverages.
Today, in the United States, a barista typically refers to the person behind the counter in a coffee shop who takes orders and prepares and serves various types of beverages to customers.
In addition to serving coffee and processing customer payments, baristas can also interact with customers, answer questions, and help them choose coffee beverages.
Behind the counter, baristas are responsible for maintaining equipment, keeping work areas clean, and ensuring inventory is stocked.
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What does a Starbucks barista do?
Starbucks baristas multi-task and provide excellent customer service. Baristas at Starbucks take orders at the counter and drive-through, preparing coffee, tea, and other beverages to customer specifications.
Other Starbucks barista duties may also include operating cash registers and credit card machines.
What are the Additional Responsibilities for a Starbucks Barista?
Some additional responsibilities of Starbucks baristas involve handling customer complaints or questions. Baristas at Starbucks also need to clean coffee machines, dining areas, restrooms, and prep areas during a typical shift.
Baristas work to maintain good customer relationships and fast delivery of all beverages, as well as complete daily tasks assigned by management.
In summary, Starbucks baristas do the following:
- develops positive relationships with the team by understanding and addressing individual motivations, needs, and concerns.
- Contributes to a positive team environment by identifying and reporting to the store manager any alarms or changes in employee morale and performance.
- Consistently delivers high-quality beverage and food products to all customers by adhering to all recipe and presentation standards.
- Maintains a calm demeanor during busy periods or unusual events to keep business operations up to standard and set a positive example for the team.
- Creates a positive learning environment through clear, specific, timely, and respectful coaching and feedback for employees throughout the shift to ensure operational excellence and improve employee performance.
How Much Does a Barista Make at Starbucks?
The average Starbucks barista salary in the US is $28,076 per year or $14.40 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $23,738 per year, while most experienced workers earn up to $33,162 per year.
According to USA Today, Starbucks announced in 2021 that employees across the country will now earn an hourly average of $17 an hour, with $15 an hour being their new minimum wage.
This increase began in January 2022 and is intended to provide a possible 5% wage increase for those who have worked at Starbucks for at least 2 years.
Those who have been with the company for at least 5 years could potentially see an increase of 10% or possibly more. This increase will result in salaries averaging between $15 and $23 an hour for all employees.
The company has also promised to make training a real investment by offering guidance and additional training time to help overwhelmed workers.
The typical salary of a Starbucks barista is $14 an hour. Barista salaries at Starbucks can range from $8 to $76 an hour. This estimate is based on 9745 Starbucks Barista salary claim(s) submitted by employees or calculated using statistical methods.
When bonuses and additional compensation are factored in, a Starbucks barista can expect to earn an average total hourly wage of $14.
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What Does This Mean for Annual Pay?
If the Starbucks minimum wage is now $15 an hour, that would mean new employees hired by the company have an opportunity to earn at least $31,200 per year.
With Starbucks’ newly announced average of $17 an hour, some employees have the potential to earn as much as $35,360 per year.
Those who have been with the company for more than 2 years also receive a potential salary increase of 5%, with up to 10% expected from current employees.
What are Starbucks’ areas with the highest payouts?
While every state in the country now has a Starbucks, it’s no surprise that some areas offer higher pay when it comes to the coffee giant. Of the 10 cities with the highest salary rates for Starbucks baristas, six are in California.
San Jose rounded out the highest pay for baristas last year, with the average pay being $29,900 per year. With the currently promised salary increase, this annual salary should continue to rise.
Here’s a look at the 10 cities with the highest salary rates for a Starbucks barista and the average annual salary they were making before the aforementioned promised rises.
- San Jose, CA ($29,900 annually)
- Oakland, CA ($29,556 annually)
- Tanaina, AK ($29,422 annually)
- Wasilla, AK ($29,421 annually)
- Hayward, CA ($28,937 annually)
- Seattle, WA ($28,741 annually)
- Concord, CA ($28,670 annually)
- Sunnyvale, CA ($28,507 annually)
- Santa Cruz, CA ($28,167 annually)
- Redmond, WA ($28,125 annually)
Also see, What to Wear to a Job Interview at Starbucks | 2022 Tips
FAQs
Tips are split up among baristas and shift supervisors, but not given to managers, shift managers, or assistant managers.
The average base salary in the U.S. is $12 per hour, with the average base pay at $24,043 per year. They have seen higher base salaries starting at about $3,000 per month and as low as $1600 per month.
Partner
Starbucks is known for giving its employees great benefits, such as health coverage, 401(k) plans, parental leave, and tuition coverage, among other things. And the people that work there say this is one of the reasons they love their job.
Conclusion
As you can see, being a Starbucks barista wasn’t always the highest-paying job out there, but thanks to the efforts of a few employees, it looks like things are about to change.
If you are or hope to be, a Starbucks employee, you should see better pay and hopefully better training and staffing conditions.
Yes, the pandemic has been tough on everyone, even companies, but with staffing issues across the country, Starbucks is hoping to attract more potential employees by offering a better wage.
References
- https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Starbucks/salaries/Barista
- https://www.glassdoor.com/Hourly-Pay/Starbucks-Barista-Hourly-Pay
- https://www.salary.com/research/salary/listing/lead-starbucks-barista-salary
- https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/How-Much-Does-a-Barista-Make-a-Month
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