# Bakers

> Mix and bake ingredients to produce breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, or other baked goods.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bakers
- SOC code: 51-3011.00
- Career family: Production
- Median annual pay: $37,160 (10th percentile $28,120, 90th percentile $49,020)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +5.5%
- Openings a year: 36,500
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCA)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 88 |
| Investigative (I) | 11 |
| Artistic (A) | 23 |
| Social (S) | 12 |
| Enterprising (E) | 18 |
| Conventional (C) | 53 |

## What you'd do

- Getting Information (importance 70/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 68/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 67/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 61/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 59/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 58/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 57/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 57/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 55/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 55/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Coordination, Active Learning

## Knowledge

Production and Processing, Food Production, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Sales and Marketing, Administrative, Education and Training, Mechanical

## Also called

Bakery Worker, Bread Baker, Cake Baker, Cake Decorator, Donut Maker, Dough Maker, Dough Mixer, French Pastry Cook, Hotel Baker, Manufacturing Baker

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Culinary Arts and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1205) (CIP 1205, 510 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Culinary Institute of America-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/culinary-institute-of-america-new-york-729) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $48,130 | $61,944 | $22,875 |
| [Johnson & Wales University-Providence](https://www.collegesref.com/college/johnson-wales-university-providence-1346) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $45,406 | $55,056 | $27,000 |
| [SUNY College of Technology at Delhi](https://www.collegesref.com/college/suny-college-of-technology-at-delhi-2651) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $37,680 | $51,716 | $22,199 |
| [Drexel University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/drexel-university-834) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | not reported | $48,094 | not reported |
| [Walnut Hill College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/walnut-hill-college-3154) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $37,008 | $47,308 | $27,000 |
| [Nicholls State University-Louisiana](https://www.collegesref.com/college/nicholls-state-university-louisiana-1873) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $32,721 | $46,969 | $24,750 |

## Related careers

- [Food Batchmakers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-batchmakers): $42,290 median pay
- [Chefs and Head Cooks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/chefs-and-head-cooks): $62,470 median pay
- [Cooks, Restaurant](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-restaurant): $37,390 median pay
- [Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-cooking-machine-operators-and-tenders): $41,590 median pay
- [Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-and-tobacco-roasting-baking-and-drying-machine-operators-and-tenders): $44,810 median pay
- [Food Preparation Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-preparation-workers): $35,320 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.