Bakers Salary: $43,665 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 231,890 bakers nationally earn a mean of $43,665. Employment in the series shown rose about 43% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.0% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Bakers: what the data shows
Common questions about bakers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a bakers?
Bakers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-3011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 231,890 workers.
What does a bakers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a bakers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $36,650 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $43,665 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,566 |
| 25th percentile | $38,053 |
| Median (50th) | $40,598 |
| 75th percentile | $47,328 |
| 90th percentile | $52,253 |
What education do you need?
For Bakers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Monitoring, Active Learning, Time Management, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, Food Production, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is bakers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 15.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 34.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 231,890.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do bakerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 231,890 | 20.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 230,670 | 20.4% |
| Manufacturing | 80,220 | 7.1% |
| Food Manufacturing | 80,150 | 7.1% |
| Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing | 77,990 | 6.9% |
| Retail Trade | 73,240 | 6.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Bakers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Chefs and Head Cooks | 182,320 | $60,990 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 1,452,130 | $36,830 |
| Food Service Managers | — | — |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Bakers workforce.
Employment Over Time
231,890 Workforce in 2023
The Bakers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Bakers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$43,665 Average Wage
In 2023, Bakers earned an average of $43,665.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Bakers.
Salary distribution for Bakers.
Employment Growth Projections
3.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
148,646 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 15.9%
172,272 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 34.3%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Bakers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Bakers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Bakers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Bakers.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Bakers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Bakers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 32,140 employees, $42,560 avg wage
- TX: 16,040 employees, $32,760 avg wage
- NY: 15,810 employees, $43,330 avg wage
- FL: 14,950 employees, $36,570 avg wage
- PA: 10,740 employees, $34,460 avg wage
- IL: 10,730 employees, $37,840 avg wage
- OH: 9,220 employees, $33,390 avg wage
- NJ: 8,620 employees, $39,430 avg wage
- NC: 7,540 employees, $34,460 avg wage
- GA: 7,420 employees, $32,280 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Bakers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 17,600 employees, $42,770 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 12,200 employees, $41,640 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 8,780 employees, $38,640 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 5,360 employees, $45,780 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 5,220 employees, $32,980 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 4,930 employees, $33,470 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 4,620 employees, $36,680 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 4,420 employees, $33,230 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 4,380 employees, $39,630 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 4,370 employees, $36,990 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Bakers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Bakers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Bakers in 2023 was 231,890 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Bakers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Bakers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Bakers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Bakers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Bakers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Bakers workers.
Education level distribution for Bakers.
Skills
Bakers need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Active Learning, Time Management, Coordination, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Bakers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Bakers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Bakers include Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, Food Production, English Language, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Bakers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Bakers include Near Vision, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Visual Color Discrimination.
Required abilities for Bakers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Bakers.
Daily Activities
Bakers spend their time on activities such as Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work.
Most important work activities for Bakers.
About
Bakers
The average yearly wage for Bakers was $43,665 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-3011 - Bakers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Bakers reports an average salary of $43,665.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 231,890 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.