Bakery Workers


Overview

Bakery Workers

Introduction

Bakery workers are the many different professionals who work to produce bread, cakes, biscuits, pies, pastries, crackers, and other baked goods in commercial, institutional, and industrial bakeries. There are approximately 218,800 bakers employed in the United States.

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$34,950

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Employment Prospects

Fair

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Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma|Apprenticeship|Some Postsecondary Training


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Experience

Part-time experience


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Skills

Interpersonal|Mechanical/Manual Dexterity|Organizational


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Personality Traits

Hands On|Organized|Technical

Earnings

The salary range for bakers and food batchmakers is wide due to factors such as size and type of employer, the employees experience, and job position. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median yearly earnings for all bakers were $34,950 in May 2023. Salaries ranged from less than $24,960 for the bottom 10 percent of all bakers to more than $46,980 to the top 10 percent of all bakers...

Work Environment

Bakery workers usually work 40 hours a week, and some work night and evening shifts. Because baked goods can be frozen until they are needed, the number of plants operating around the clock is less than it used to be.

Some bakery plants are air-conditioned. All are clean, since bakeries must meet state and federal standards. Bakery employees wear uniforms and caps or hairnets for sanitar...

Outlook

Employment for bakery workers is expected to increase faster than the average for all careers from 2022 through 2032, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Many jobs will be available because of greater demand for bakery workers preparing specialty baked goods, such as cupcakes, pies, and cakes, from grocery stores, retail bakeries, manufacturing plants, restaurants. Highly skilled bakers ...