Pay by state · 54 areas
Baker Salary by State (2026)
Bakers earn the most in Hawaii at $46,710 a year and the least in Louisiana at $28,020 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $37,160. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $46,710Hawaii
- National median
- $37,160BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $28,020Louisiana
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for bakers
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, South Dakota comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Hawaii$46,710
- 2Washington$46,140
- 3District of Columbia$44,040
- 4California$43,120
- 5Colorado$40,650
Lowest median pay
- 1Louisiana$28,020
- 2West Virginia$28,480
- 3Mississippi$28,920
- 4Arkansas$30,380
- 5Oklahoma$31,460
All states
Baker salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of bakers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIHawaii | $46,710 | $37,840 | $58,180 | 1,580 | $42,483 |
| 2 | WAWashington | $46,140 | $38,890 | $51,420 | 6,270 | $43,116 |
| 3 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $44,040 | $38,990 | $47,600 | 1,270 | $40,072 |
| 4 | CACalifornia | $43,120 | $38,040 | $47,500 | 30,020 | $38,945 |
| 5 | COColorado | $40,650 | $37,100 | $48,280 | 4,680 | $39,446 |
| 6 | MNMinnesota | $40,210 | $36,840 | $47,220 | 2,660 | $40,772 |
| 7 | WYWyoming | $40,000 | $36,190 | $47,160 | 240 | $43,154 |
| 8 | VTVermont | $39,980 | $36,370 | $48,460 | 580 | $40,813 |
| 9 | AKAlaska | $39,710 | $37,520 | $48,570 | 430 | $38,795 |
| 10 | NVNevada | $39,540 | $34,110 | $47,970 | 2,040 | $39,548 |
| 11 | NHNew Hampshire | $39,500 | $36,510 | $45,810 | 880 | $37,921 |
| 12 | OROregon | $39,500 | $35,610 | $45,480 | 4,160 | $38,216 |
| 13 | NYNew York | $38,660 | $36,150 | $45,450 | 15,130 | $35,822 |
| 14 | SDSouth Dakota | $38,340 | $33,870 | $44,130 | 330 | $43,280 |
| 15 | RIRhode Island | $38,140 | $36,400 | $45,780 | 560 | $37,290 |
| 16 | MAMassachusetts | $38,130 | $36,520 | $45,400 | 6,070 | $36,054 |
| 17 | AZArizona | $37,700 | $36,210 | $43,520 | 4,000 | $37,446 |
| 18 | MEMaine | $37,390 | $34,550 | $43,410 | 1,380 | $38,527 |
| 19 | WIWisconsin | $37,310 | $33,830 | $45,080 | 4,930 | $39,651 |
| 20 | IAIowa | $37,210 | $28,920 | $42,850 | 2,150 | $42,399 |
| 21 | MTMontana | $37,200 | $31,420 | $42,950 | 990 | $39,305 |
| 22 | MDMaryland | $37,040 | $34,930 | $44,660 | 2,740 | $35,290 |
| 23 | ILIllinois | $37,030 | $34,680 | $44,260 | 12,420 | $37,046 |
| 24 | NJNew Jersey | $36,960 | $34,710 | $45,950 | 8,110 | $33,969 |
| 25 | NDNorth Dakota | $36,900 | $35,260 | $43,840 | 830 | $41,480 |
| 26 | DEDelaware | $36,730 | $33,590 | $46,650 | 290 | $36,801 |
| 27 | UTUtah | $36,670 | $30,270 | $39,370 | 3,190 | $37,091 |
| 28 | CTConnecticut | $36,460 | $34,540 | $41,990 | 3,670 | $35,190 |
| 29 | PAPennsylvania | $36,360 | $29,530 | $43,890 | 10,380 | $37,265 |
| 30 | INIndiana | $36,150 | $28,790 | $41,360 | 3,600 | $38,734 |
| 31 | FLFlorida | $35,870 | $30,490 | $39,690 | 12,320 | $34,686 |
| 32 | MIMichigan | $35,830 | $30,830 | $39,320 | 7,290 | $37,239 |
| 33 | SCSouth Carolina | $35,460 | $29,240 | $39,120 | 2,940 | $37,824 |
| 34 | NENebraska | $35,280 | $30,380 | $43,520 | 1,030 | $39,155 |
| 35 | MOMissouri | $35,130 | $30,330 | $37,630 | 4,190 | $38,682 |
| 36 | GAGeorgia | $35,010 | $28,580 | $38,650 | 7,350 | $36,358 |
| 37 | NMNew Mexico | $34,850 | $31,300 | $36,740 | 1,540 | $37,793 |
| 38 | OHOhio | $34,560 | $28,300 | $37,640 | 8,890 | $37,252 |
| 39 | NCNorth Carolina | $34,510 | $27,780 | $37,770 | 9,320 | $36,586 |
| 40 | TNTennessee | $34,440 | $23,960 | $40,880 | 5,200 | $37,488 |
| 41 | VAVirginia | $34,430 | $30,270 | $38,590 | 7,820 | $34,054 |
| 42 | KSKansas | $34,300 | $29,900 | $38,030 | 1,370 | $38,082 |
| 43 | IDIdaho | $34,060 | $23,660 | $38,600 | 2,230 | $35,667 |
| 44 | ALAlabama | $34,030 | $27,830 | $38,720 | 1,880 | $38,312 |
| 45 | KYKentucky | $33,890 | $28,170 | $39,470 | 1,630 | $37,589 |
| 46 | TXTexas | $33,790 | $28,190 | $37,380 | 16,710 | $34,815 |
| 47 | OKOklahoma | $31,460 | $27,060 | $36,350 | 1,980 | $35,814 |
| 48 | ARArkansas | $30,380 | $28,570 | $33,390 | 2,400 | $34,945 |
| 49 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $29,660 | $29,660 | $32,900 | 100 | N/A |
| 50 | MSMississippi | $28,920 | $22,290 | $35,450 | 1,300 | $33,259 |
| 51 | WVWest Virginia | $28,480 | $23,070 | $36,490 | 750 | $31,822 |
| 52 | LALouisiana | $28,020 | $23,540 | $35,690 | 2,450 | $31,766 |
| 53 | GUGuam | $24,320 | $21,080 | $28,640 | 160 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $22,170 | $21,840 | $23,270 | 2,530 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For bakers, that changes the ranking: Hawaii leads on raw pay at $46,710, while South Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $43,280.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Baker pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays bakers the most?
Hawaii reports the highest median wage for bakers at $46,710 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Washington ($46,140) and District of Columbia ($44,040).
Which state pays bakers the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Louisiana reports the lowest median for bakers at $28,020 a year, $18,690 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $29,660, Guam reports $24,320 and Puerto Rico reports $22,170.
Is the highest-paying state the best for bakers after cost of living?
Not on this data. Hawaii pays the most on paper ($46,710) but ranks 4th of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($42,483). South Dakota leads after that adjustment at $43,280, from a raw median of $38,340. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.