So last Tuesday I was watching The Crown reruns, right? Got me thinking – what do real-life butlers actually make? Like, the fancy ones carrying silver trays. Figured I’d dig around myself instead of just wondering.
Starting the Search
Grabbed my laptop around 10 AM, still in pajamas honestly. Googled “butler salaries US” and immediately felt overwhelmed. Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, Bureau of Labor Statistics – so many sources! Government sites made my eyes glaze over with all their dropdown menus. Almost gave up right there.
The Pay Reveal
Took me a solid hour to piece things together. Here’s the rough breakdown:
- Yearly Pay: Most butlers make between $45k to $70k. Big shocker? Luxury hotels in New York pay way more – like $80k+ if you handle VIP guests.
- Hourly Rate: Math headache time! Divided $55k (average) by 2080 work hours yearly. Got roughly $26/hour. But then realized many butlers work insane overtime. Private estate gigs often pay hourly too – saw $18 to $35/hour scrolling through actual job posts.
Cold Hard Reality
My coffee went cold while comparing mansion jobs vs. hotel jobs. High-end personal butlers? They sometimes get bonuses for holidays or travel weeks. One forum guy in Beverly Hills mentioned pulling $100k but working 60-hour weeks. No thanks!
Final Takeaways
Truth bomb? Location and boss matter way more than I thought. A Vegas butler earns less than one in Aspen. Live-in jobs slash your rent but trap you 24/7. Oh, and nobody mentioned taxes! That $50k looks more like $38k after Uncle Sam takes his cut.
Anyway, my curiosity’s satisfied. Unless you’re serving royalty, this ain’t a get-rich-quick job. Still kinda cool knowing the numbers though!
