Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between bakers and bakery associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a baker has an average salary of $29,640, which is higher than the $28,963 average annual salary of a bakery associate.
The top three skills for a baker include excellent organizational, cleanliness and food preparation. The most important skills for a bakery associate are customer service, donuts, and food preparation.
| Baker | Bakery Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $29,640 | $28,963 |
| Hourly rate | $14.25 | $13.92 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 10,867 | 52,105 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 31% | High School Diploma, 43% |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | - |
Bakers arrange quality ingredients to mix and craft specific recipes to make all kinds of pastries and baked goods such as cookies, brownies, muffins, bread, tortillas, and cakes. They prepare doughs, batters, icings, or fillings and use several types of equipment like scales or graduated containers to weigh or quantify ingredients. Baking is a science that requires precise measurement and temperature conditions, so bakers should have keen attention to detail, great accuracy, and good organizational skills. This career may not sound as glamorous as it could be, but this is a very physical and demanding type of job.
A bakery associate is responsible for assisting bakery chefs in producing baked goods and pastries, organizing the stock, maintaining the cleanliness of the storage area, and processing customers' orders and payments. Bakery associates monitor the inventory and request bakery ingredients and supplies from trusted suppliers and third-party vendors. They also pitch on recommending promotional campaigns and research on current bakery trends to update the menu, meeting public demands to increase sales and revenues. A bakery associate should have excellent communication and analytical skills to respond to customers' inquiries and operate the cash register.
Bakers and bakery associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Baker | Bakery Associate | |
| Average salary | $29,640 | $28,963 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $41,000 | Between $17,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Nashua, NH | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Washington |
| Best paying company | University of Massachusetts Boston | Rich Products |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Retail |
There are a few differences between a baker and a bakery associate in terms of educational background:
| Baker | Bakery Associate | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 31% | High School Diploma, 43% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between bakers' and bakery associates' demographics:
| Baker | Bakery Associate | |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.7% Female, 54.3% | Male, 22.5% Female, 77.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 8.3% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.6% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |