Baker vs pastry baker

The differences between bakers and pastry bakers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a baker and a pastry baker. Additionally, a pastry baker has an average salary of $32,209, which is higher than the $29,640 average annual salary of a baker.

The top three skills for a baker include excellent organizational, cleanliness and food preparation. The most important skills for a pastry baker are food safety, culinary, and mixers.

Baker vs pastry baker overview

	Baker	Pastry Baker
Yearly salary	$29,640	$32,209
Hourly rate	$14.25	$15.49
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	10,867	7,096
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Associate Degree, 42%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	12	12

Baker vs pastry baker salary

Bakers and pastry bakers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Baker	Pastry Baker
Average salary	$29,640	$32,209
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $41,000	Between $24,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Nashua, NH	West Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	Washington
Best paying company	University of Massachusetts Boston	Hyatt Hotels
Best paying industry	Retail	Retail

Differences between baker and pastry baker education

There are a few differences between a baker and a pastry baker in terms of educational background:

	Baker	Pastry Baker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Associate Degree, 42%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Baker vs pastry baker demographics

Here are the differences between bakers' and pastry bakers' demographics:

	Baker	Pastry Baker
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 45.7% Female, 54.3%	Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4%
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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 10.2% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between baker and pastry baker duties and responsibilities

Baker example responsibilities.

Manage inventory of ingredients and culinary supplies.
Prepare foods for cafeteria and patients, operate cash register in cafeteria, sanitize food preparation and service areas.
Operate industrial ovens and stoves.
Help selling merchandise and run the store.
Gain valuable experience in servicing VIP requests.
Assist customers, run register, stock goods.

Pastry baker example responsibilities.

Manage inventory of ingredients and culinary supplies.
Use of mixers, and sheeter for fold doughs.
Prepare recipes for a variety of bake items including cookies, pies, cakes, short breads, and muffins.
Prepare glazes and dough, baking cinnamon rolls, baking bacon, creating donuts, piping, preparing pastry frosting and inventory
Work independently to replenish product to pars -mix and portion muffins, scones, cookies, pies, cakes, etc.
Prepare donuts following instructions and safety guidelines.

Baker vs pastry baker skills

Common baker skills

Excellent Organizational, 38%
Cleanliness, 8%
Food Preparation, 5%
Quality Standards, 4%
Food Handling, 4%
Safety Regulations, 4%

Common pastry baker skills

Food Safety, 31%
Culinary, 26%
Mixers, 13%
Kitchen Appliances, 8%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Customer Service, 2%