Creates the desserts, breads, and baked goods for a restaurant, hotel, or bakery, from plated desserts to laminated dough and wedding cakes. BLS does not publish separate figures for bakers; it counts them within baker (SOC 51-3011), whose median pay is $37,160 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
- SOC 51-3011
- Production
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Pastry Chef in four numbers
- Median pay
- $37,160a year, or $17.86/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $28KTop 10% $49K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +5.5%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+5.5%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +5.5% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 36,500262,400 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025262.4K
- Projected 2035276.9K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 262.4K Projected 2035 276.9K - Typical education
- No formal credentialneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Pastry Sous Chef, Pastry Cook, Dessert Chef, Patissier, Head Pastry Chef.
Pay
How much do Bakers make?
Every pastry chef in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$37,160
Middle half earn $32,660 to $44,360
- 10th
- $28,120
- 25th
- $32,660
- 75th
- $44,360
- 90th
- $49,020
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $28,120 |
| 25th | $32,660 |
| Median | $37,160 |
| 75th | $44,360 |
| 90th | $49,020 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $37,160
- Median hourly wage
- $17.86/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $38,480
- People employed
- 236,200
Versus all US occupations
At $37,160, Bakers earn 27% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $13,820 a year.
Versus production occupations
Inside the Production group, where the middle occupation pays $48,030, this is 23% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $49,020 or more while the bottom 10% earn $28,120, a gap of 1.7×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 4% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Hawaii posts the highest raw median ($46,710), but once local prices are taken into account South Dakota leads at $43,280 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Bakers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hawaii | $46,710 | $42,483 | 1,580 |
| 2Washington | $46,140 | $43,116 | 6,270 |
| 3District of Columbia | $44,040 | $40,072 | 1,270 |
| 4California | $43,120 | $38,945 | 30,020 |
| 5Colorado | $40,650 | $39,446 | 4,680 |
| 6Minnesota | $40,210 | $40,772 | 2,660 |
| 7Wyoming | $40,000 | $43,154 | 240 |
| 8Vermont | $39,980 | $40,813 | 580 |
| 9Alaska | $39,710 | $38,795 | 430 |
| 10Nevada | $39,540 | $39,548 | 2,040 |
Job outlook
Is Pastry Chef a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +5.5% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bakers | +5.5% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Bakers to change 5.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 14,500 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 36,500 openings are projected each year, 13.9% of the 262,400 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Pastry Chef
Many pastry chefs complete a baking and pastry certificate or associate degree at a culinary school such as the Culinary Institute of America or the Institute of Culinary Education, then work their way up from pastry cook. Others learn entirely on the job in bakeries and hotel pastry shops. The American Culinary Federation offers certifications that track experience, including Certified Pastry Culinarian, Certified Working Pastry Chef, and Certified Executive Pastry Chef.
The usual break-in is an entry pastry cook or baker role with early morning shifts, a willingness to repeat basic production until it is flawless, and a portfolio of photos showing plated desserts or cakes you designed.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does a Pastry Chef do?
A pastry chef runs the sweet side of a kitchen. In a restaurant that means designing plated desserts that fit the menu, plus breads, petits fours, ice creams, and anything else baked in house. In a hotel the job scales up to banquets, room service, breakfast pastries, and custom cakes.
Pastry work is precise. Recipes are measured by weight, temperatures matter to the degree, and techniques such as lamination, tempering chocolate, and sugar work take years to master. Pastry chefs also cost recipes, order ingredients, plan production schedules so items are fresh for service, and train pastry cooks. Senior pastry chefs create seasonal menus and showpieces for events.
Day-to-day tasks
- Design plated desserts and pastry menus that fit the restaurant's style
- Produce breads, viennoiserie, cakes, and confections from scratch
- Temper chocolate and work with sugar for decorations and showpieces
- Scale and cost recipes and order ingredients
- Plan daily production so items are fresh for service
- Train and supervise pastry cooks and bakers
- Create custom cakes for weddings and events
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Pastry chefs work in restaurant kitchens, hotels, resorts, bakeries, cruise ships, and catering companies. Shifts often start very early so baked goods are ready for the day, and weekends and holidays are busy. The work involves standing for long periods, lifting sacks of flour and sugar, and working near hot ovens.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeOn their feet more than half the working day.
Bending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the timeRegular bending or twisting.
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayConflict situations are rare.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.0
- Reading Comprehension2.9
- Speaking2.9
- Critical Thinking2.9
- Monitoring2.9
- Active Learning2.6
- Mathematics2.1
- Writing2.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.9 |
| Speaking | 2.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 2.9 |
| Monitoring | 2.9 |
| Active Learning | 2.6 |
| Mathematics | 2.1 |
| Writing | 2.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Time Management3.0
- Quality Control Analysis2.9
- Coordination2.8
- Social Perceptiveness2.6
- Operations Monitoring2.6
- Service Orientation2.5
- Operation and Control2.4
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 2.9 |
| Coordination | 2.8 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.6 |
| Operations Monitoring | 2.6 |
| Service Orientation | 2.5 |
| Operation and Control | 2.4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Desktop publishing software
- Electronic mail software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Internet browser software
- Inventory management software
- Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Pastry Chef?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ARC) built on O*NET's Baker profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Pastry Chef |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 4 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic6.3
- Conventional4.5
- Artistic3.6
- Enterprising2.1
- Social1.7
- Investigative1.7
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Pastry Chef
O*NET related occupations
- Production
- Production
- Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Production
- Production
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operator and Tender
$44,810median a year
Most earn $33K to $63K
+0.4%No formal credential
More production careers
Median annual pay, with bakers highlighted
- Power Plant Operator$102,040
- Tool and Die Maker$64,050
- Machinist$58,750
- Welder$53,750
- Structural Metal Fabricator and Fitter$51,330
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator$50,690
- Butcher and Meat Cutter$40,140
- Baker$37,160
- Pastry Chef$37,160
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Power Plant Operator | $102,040 |
| Tool and Die Maker | $64,050 |
| Machinist | $58,750 |
| Welder | $53,750 |
| Structural Metal Fabricator and Fitter | $51,330 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operator | $50,690 |
| Butcher and Meat Cutter | $40,140 |
| Baker | $37,160 |
| Pastry Chef | $37,160 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Pastry Chef appears on
Questions
Pastry Chef: frequently asked questions
How much do Bakers make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for bakers. It counts them within baker, whose median pay is $37,160 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $32,660 and $44,360, and the top 10% earn $49,020 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Pastry Chef?
No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Bakers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as little or no preparation. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training.
Is Pastry Chef a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.5% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 36,500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Pastry Chef do?
A pastry chef runs the sweet side of a kitchen. A typical task: design plated desserts and pastry menus that fit the restaurant's style. Employers most often ask for Office suite software, Presentation software, Spreadsheet software.
Which states pay Bakers the most?
The highest state medians for Bakers are Hawaii ($46,710), Washington ($46,140), District of Columbia ($44,040) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, South Dakota moves to the top at $43,280.
What personality type suits a Pastry Chef?
O*NET scores Bakers highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Artistic interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.