What Does it Take to Be a Baker?
Career Description Mix and bake ingredients to produce breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, or other baked goods.
Daily Life Of a Baker
- Adapt the quantity of ingredients to match the amount of items to be baked.
- Roll, knead, cut, or shape dough to form sweet rolls, pie crusts, tarts, cookies, or other products.
- Set oven temperatures and place items into hot ovens for baking.
- Combine measured ingredients in bowls of mixing, blending, or cooking machinery.
- Set time and speed controls for mixing machines, blending machines, or steam kettles so that ingredients will be mixed or cooked according to instructions.
- Direct or coordinate bakery deliveries.
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Qualities of a Baker
When polled, Bakers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Other Baker Job Titles
- Dough Mixer
- Bench Hand
- Bagel Maker
- Roll Machine Operator
- Pastry Chef
Is There Going to be Demand for Bakers?
There were about 191,000 jobs for Baker in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 7.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 14,600 new jobs for Baker by 2026. The BLS estimates 29,100 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Baker are Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. Watch out if you plan on working in Delaware, Ohio, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Baker Average Salary
The average yearly salary of a Baker ranges between $19,880 and $40,350.

Bakers who work in Alaska, Hawaii, or Washington, make the highest salaries.
How much do Bakers make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $28,100 |
Alaska | $33,970 |
Arizona | $28,930 |
Arkansas | $25,250 |
California | $30,710 |
Colorado | $31,160 |
Connecticut | $31,240 |
Delaware | $26,090 |
District of Columbia | $33,370 |
Florida | $27,800 |
Georgia | $27,350 |
Hawaii | $35,110 |
Idaho | $26,640 |
Illinois | $26,620 |
Indiana | $24,820 |
Iowa | $26,380 |
Kansas | $26,220 |
Kentucky | $24,010 |
Louisiana | $25,030 |
Maine | $29,180 |
Maryland | $29,040 |
Massachusetts | $33,350 |
Michigan | $26,430 |
Minnesota | $30,930 |
Mississippi | $23,350 |
Missouri | $25,660 |
Montana | $27,560 |
Nebraska | $26,980 |
Nevada | $31,420 |
New Hampshire | $30,830 |
New Jersey | $31,090 |
New Mexico | $25,570 |
New York | $30,990 |
North Carolina | $25,570 |
North Dakota | $29,720 |
Ohio | $27,910 |
Oklahoma | $24,230 |
Oregon | $30,940 |
Pennsylvania | $27,110 |
Rhode Island | $32,780 |
South Carolina | $25,640 |
South Dakota | $26,470 |
Tennessee | $26,610 |
Texas | $25,950 |
Utah | $30,170 |
Vermont | $32,820 |
Virginia | $27,030 |
Washington | $33,300 |
West Virginia | $25,000 |
Wisconsin | $29,670 |
Wyoming | $32,150 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Bakers
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Bakers may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Web browser software
- Email software
- Culinary Software Services ChefTec
- Axxya Systems Nutritionist Pro
- SoftCafe MenuPro
- Sage 100 ERP
- iPro
- EGS CALCMENU
How do I Become a Baker?
Are there Bakers education requirements?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Who Employs Bakers?

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those who work as a Baker sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: U.S. Army Europe Images via Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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