Best states for a pastry cook

Q: What is the best state for pastry cooks?

The best state to be a pastry cook is Florida based on pastry cook salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for pastry cooks?

The highest paying state for pastry cooks is Kansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for pastry cooks?

The worst state for pastry cooks is West Virginia, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Job opportunities vary from state to state, and food preparation and restaurant careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to pastry cook jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for pastry cooks.In order to help you decide which state is the best for pastry cooks, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for pastry cook jobs.

The median salary for pastry cooks in Florida is $38,816. Compare that to the median salary in West Virginia of $27,766, which ranked worst for pastry cooks, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that the South is best for pastry cooks, and the West is the worst. Seattle, WA is the best city in the country for pastry cook jobs, where as Florida is the best state in the country.

10 best states for pastry cooks in 2025

1. Florida
Total pastry cook jobs: 3,991
Average annual salary: $38,816
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Location Quotient:
1.46
Pastry cook jobs in Florida
2. Connecticut
Total pastry cook jobs: 448
Average annual salary: $44,006
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Location Quotient:
0.77
Pastry cook jobs in Connecticut
3. Missouri
Total pastry cook jobs: 1,307
Average annual salary: $37,156
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Location Quotient:
1.27
Pastry cook jobs in Missouri
4. Washington
Total pastry cook jobs: 898
Average annual salary: $44,064
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Location Quotient:
0.7
Pastry cook jobs in Washington
5. Minnesota
Total pastry cook jobs: 1,120
Average annual salary: $38,839
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Location Quotient:
0.96
Pastry cook jobs in Minnesota
6. Hawaii
Total pastry cook jobs: 99
Average annual salary: $50,064
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Location Quotient:
0.67
Pastry cook jobs in Hawaii
7. Wyoming
Total pastry cook jobs: 96
Average annual salary: $37,809
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Pastry cook jobs in Wyoming
8. Alaska
Total pastry cook jobs: 124
Average annual salary: $40,452
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Location Quotient:
0.85
Pastry cook jobs in Alaska
9. North Dakota
Total pastry cook jobs: 145
Average annual salary: $36,727
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Location Quotient:
0.89
Pastry cook jobs in North Dakota
10. Colorado
Total pastry cook jobs: 1,089
Average annual salary: $38,027
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
Pastry cook jobs in Colorado

Pastry cook jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a pastry cook

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a pastry cook

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Florida	$38,816	$30,000	20,984,400	3,991
2	Connecticut	$44,006	$34,000	3,588,184	448
3	Missouri	$37,156	$29,000	6,113,532	1,307
4	Washington	$44,064	$35,000	7,405,743	898
5	Minnesota	$38,839	$31,000	5,576,606	1,120
6	Hawaii	$50,064	$41,000	1,427,538	99
7	Wyoming	$37,809	$30,000	579,315	96
8	Alaska	$40,452	$34,000	739,795	124
9	North Dakota	$36,727	$29,000	755,393	145
10	Colorado	$38,027	$30,000	5,607,154	1,089
11	Wisconsin	$36,490	$29,000	5,795,483	813
12	Massachusetts	$40,547	$31,000	6,859,819	1,060
13	Oregon	$39,388	$31,000	4,142,776	506
14	Indiana	$34,662	$28,000	6,666,818	1,443
15	Pennsylvania	$35,188	$27,000	12,805,537	1,966
16	Nevada	$35,453	$27,000	2,998,039	398
17	California	$41,511	$32,000	39,536,653	3,867
18	Utah	$35,862	$28,000	3,101,833	551
19	New York	$39,582	$30,000	19,849,399	1,657
20	Idaho	$35,593	$28,000	1,716,943	267
21	Tennessee	$32,839	$26,000	6,715,984	1,540
22	Virginia	$37,234	$29,000	8,470,020	1,356
23	Arizona	$34,731	$27,000	7,016,270	1,240
24	Maine	$35,706	$28,000	1,335,907	185
25	District of Columbia	$42,255	$33,000	693,972	88
26	North Carolina	$34,232	$27,000	10,273,419	1,785
27	Vermont	$36,939	$29,000	623,657	71
28	Nebraska	$34,637	$28,000	1,920,076	338
29	Arkansas	$31,838	$25,000	3,004,279	700
30	Illinois	$35,129	$28,000	12,802,023	1,802
31	Rhode Island	$35,520	$27,000	1,059,639	128
32	Iowa	$32,800	$26,000	3,145,711	647
33	South Dakota	$34,149	$27,000	869,666	121
34	New Mexico	$33,078	$26,000	2,088,070	386
35	New Jersey	$36,225	$28,000	9,005,644	996
36	Texas	$32,336	$25,000	28,304,596	4,996
37	Ohio	$31,834	$25,000	11,658,609	1,847
38	South Carolina	$32,088	$25,000	5,024,369	929
39	Delaware	$35,435	$27,000	961,939	138
40	Oklahoma	$30,424	$24,000	3,930,864	939
41	Louisiana	$30,761	$24,000	4,684,333	845
42	New Hampshire	$34,043	$26,000	1,342,795	207
43	Georgia	$32,522	$26,000	10,429,379	1,657
44	Maryland	$34,259	$26,000	6,052,177	869
45	Mississippi	$28,488	$22,000	2,984,100	603
46	Kentucky	$28,882	$23,000	4,454,189	838
47	Michigan	$30,997	$24,000	9,962,311	1,252
48	Alabama	$30,866	$24,000	4,874,747	675
49	Montana	$29,387	$23,000	1,050,493	223
50	Kansas	$27,686	$22,000	2,913,123	605
51	West Virginia	$27,766	$22,000	1,815,857	274

Highest paying states for pastry cooks

Rank	State	Avg. Pastry Cook Salary
1	Florida	$38,816
2	Connecticut	$44,006
3	Missouri	$37,156
4	Washington	$44,064
5	Minnesota	$38,839
6	Hawaii	$50,064
7	Wyoming	$37,809
8	Alaska	$40,452
9	North Dakota	$36,727
10	Colorado	$38,027
11	Wisconsin	$36,490
12	Massachusetts	$40,547
13	Oregon	$39,388
14	Indiana	$34,662
15	Pennsylvania	$35,188
16	Nevada	$35,453
17	California	$41,511
18	Utah	$35,862
19	New York	$39,582
20	Idaho	$35,593
21	Tennessee	$32,839
22	Virginia	$37,234
23	Arizona	$34,731
24	Maine	$35,706
25	District of Columbia	$42,255
26	North Carolina	$34,232
27	Vermont	$36,939
28	Nebraska	$34,637
29	Arkansas	$31,838
30	Illinois	$35,129
31	Rhode Island	$35,520
32	Iowa	$32,800
33	South Dakota	$34,149
34	New Mexico	$33,078
35	New Jersey	$36,225
36	Texas	$32,336
37	Ohio	$31,834
38	South Carolina	$32,088
39	Delaware	$35,435
40	Oklahoma	$30,424
41	Louisiana	$30,761
42	New Hampshire	$34,043
43	Georgia	$32,522
44	Maryland	$34,259
45	Mississippi	$28,488
46	Kentucky	$28,882
47	Michigan	$30,997
48	Alabama	$30,866
49	Montana	$29,387
50	Kansas	$27,686
51	West Virginia	$27,766

Pastry cook best states FAQs

What is the best state for pastry cooks?

What is the highest paying state for pastry cooks?

What is the worst state for pastry cooks?

Have more questions? See all answers to common food preparation and restaurant questions.

Search for pastry cook jobs

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Pastry Cook
Best states for Pastry Cooks

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs

Total pastry cook jobs:	3,991
Average annual salary:	$38,816
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$30,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$49,000
Location Quotient:	1.46

Best states for a pastry cook

10 best states for pastry cooks in 2025

1. Florida

2. Connecticut

3. Missouri

4. Washington

5. Minnesota

6. Hawaii

7. Wyoming

8. Alaska

9. North Dakota

10. Colorado