Bakers
US occupation · SOC 51-3011
Job titles people report: Bakery Worker, Bread Baker, Cake Baker, Cake Decorator, Dough Mixer, Mixer, Pastry Cook, Relief Baker, Scaler, Specialty Baker
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $37,160
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $32,660 – $44,360
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 236,200
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +5.5%
- At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 36,500
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- No formal educational credential
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Mix and bake ingredients to produce breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, or other baked goods.
Main tasks
- Measure or weigh flour or other ingredients to prepare batters, doughs, fillings, or icings, using scales or graduated containers.
- Set oven temperatures, and place items into hot ovens for baking.
- Check products for quality, and identify damaged or expired goods.
- Check equipment to ensure that it meets health and safety regulations, and perform maintenance or cleaning, as necessary.
- Adapt the quantity of ingredients to match the amount of items to be baked.
- Place dough in pans, molds, or on sheets, and bake in production ovens or on grills.
- Observe color of products being baked, and adjust oven temperatures, humidity, or conveyor speeds accordingly.
- Set time and speed controls for mixing machines, blending machines, or steam kettles so that ingredients will be mixed or cooked according to instructions.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- No formal educational credential
- Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone 1–2
- Little to some preparation
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Artistic: creating, designing and self-expression
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.
Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services
- Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Food Batchmakers
$42,290 median · +6.5% projected
- Chefs and Head Cooks
$62,470 median · +6.6% projected
- Cooks, Restaurant
$37,390 median · +12.1% projected
- Butchers and Meat Cutters
$40,140 median · +2.4% projected
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
$37,450 median · +2.8% projected
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
$51,610 median · -5.7% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk