Food preparation worker vs bakery clerk

The differences between food preparation workers and bakery clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a bakery clerk has an average salary of $28,651, which is higher than the $25,004 average annual salary of a food preparation worker.

The top three skills for a food preparation worker include customer service, food handling and clean rooms. The most important skills for a bakery clerk are basic math, bakery products, and cleanliness.

Food preparation worker vs bakery clerk overview

	Food Preparation Worker	Bakery Clerk
Yearly salary	$25,004	$28,651
Hourly rate	$12.02	$13.77
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	65,654	67,778
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

Food preparation worker vs bakery clerk salary

Food preparation workers and bakery clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Preparation Worker	Bakery Clerk
Average salary	$25,004	$28,651
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $33,000	Between $23,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	Rochester, NY	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Washington
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Bristol Farms
Best paying industry	Retail	Retail

Differences between food preparation worker and bakery clerk education

There are a few differences between a food preparation worker and a bakery clerk in terms of educational background:

	Food Preparation Worker	Bakery Clerk
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food preparation worker vs bakery clerk demographics

Here are the differences between food preparation workers' and bakery clerks' demographics:

	Food Preparation Worker	Bakery Clerk
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4%	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between food preparation worker and bakery clerk duties and responsibilities

Food preparation worker example responsibilities.

Maintain cleaned and sanitize cafeterias.
Assist with planning and directing food preparation and culinary activities along with safely handling and storing all products appropriately.
Wash dishes, pots, pans and trays by hand and automatic dishwasher.
Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.

Bakery clerk example responsibilities.

Manage and complete sales transactions via POS register system.
Use of equipment such as: bread slicers, ovens, commercial mixers, meat slicers, and over wrappers.
Start in wine and spirits.
Practice proper use of lock out/tag out procedures for balers and trash compactors.
Exemplify a model of excellent customer service in keeping with Publix's orientation towards ensuring customer satisfaction.
Train to operate machinery such as meat and cheese slicer, bread slicer, fryers, and rotisserie oven.

Food preparation worker vs bakery clerk skills

Common food preparation worker skills

Customer Service, 20%
Food Handling, 16%
Clean Rooms, 10%
Food Preparation Equipment, 9%
Basic Math, 8%
Food Storage, 5%

Common bakery clerk skills

Basic Math, 10%
Bakery Products, 9%
Cleanliness, 9%
Math, 8%
Food Safety, 6%
Help Support, 6%

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Food Preparation Worker vs Bakery Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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