Careers · Explore one path
Bakers
Mix and bake ingredients to produce breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, or other baked goods.
Other titles employers use
Baker · Cake Decorator · Dough Mixer · Mixer · Pastry Chef · Scaler · Bagel Maker · Bread Baker
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Check products for quality, and identify damaged or expired goods.
- Set oven temperatures, and place items into hot ovens for baking.
- Combine measured ingredients in bowls of mixing, blending, or cooking machinery.
- Place dough in pans, molds, or on sheets, and bake in production ovens or on grills.
- Set time and speed controls for mixing machines, blending machines, or steam kettles so that ingredients will be mixed or cooked according to instructions.
- Measure or weigh flour or other ingredients to prepare batters, doughs, fillings, or icings, using scales or graduated containers.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical and organizing work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Coordination
Subjects to know
- Production and Processing
- Customer and Personal Service
- Food Production
- English Language
- Mathematics
Useful strengths
- Near Vision
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Visual Color Discrimination
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.2 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 4.4 | Standing or moving for most of it |
| Talking face to face | 4.3 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 4.0 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Most employers do not ask for a formal credential. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 83%
- A certificate or some college 17%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Presentation software
- Word processing software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Time accounting software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 25,600
- Job openings each year
- 3,810
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 11.8%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 25,600 | 3,810 | 11.8% |
| Texas | 22,590 | 3,400 | 20.4% |
| New York | 14,540 | 20 | 1.1% |
| Illinois | 12,650 | 1,860 | 5.2% |
| Florida | 12,610 | 1,880 | 12.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 10,470 | 1,540 | 4.2% |
| Georgia | 9,190 | 1,380 | 16.6% |
| Ohio | 8,370 | 1,230 | 2.2% |
| Michigan | 7,960 | 1,170 | 3.1% |
| North Carolina | 7,520 | 1,120 | 12.6% |
| New Jersey | 7,150 | 1,060 | 9.5% |
| Washington | 6,920 | 1,180 | 23.1% |
| Arizona | 6,120 | 930 | 24.1% |
| Colorado | 5,260 | 790 | 13.9% |
| Tennessee | 4,600 | 680 | 11.1% |
| Virginia | 4,490 | 660 | 5.6% |
| Missouri | 4,330 | 640 | 4.6% |
| Wisconsin | 3,940 | 580 | 6.5% |
| Oregon | 3,890 | 580 | 14.1% |
| Utah | 3,890 | 590 | 23.1% |
| Minnesota | 3,370 | 500 | 4.0% |
| Indiana | 2,890 | 430 | 6.6% |
| South Carolina | 2,660 | 400 | 9.9% |
| Connecticut | 2,630 | 390 | 12.9% |
| Iowa | 2,500 | 370 | 7.8% |
| Puerto Rico | 2,480 | 370 | 12.2% |
| Maryland | 2,350 | 350 | 10.3% |
| Alabama | 2,200 | 330 | 8.4% |
| Oklahoma | 2,140 | 320 | 8.1% |
| Nebraska | 2,120 | 310 | 11.0% |
| Massachusetts | 1,850 | 270 | 10.1% |
| Nevada | 1,830 | 270 | 18.1% |
| Louisiana | 1,730 | 260 | 4.8% |
| Kansas | 1,600 | 240 | 9.6% |
| Maine | 1,500 | 220 | 2.0% |
| Rhode Island | 1,490 | 220 | 12.9% |
| New Mexico | 1,440 | 220 | 15.2% |
| Montana | 1,070 | 160 | 15.1% |
| Mississippi | 1,020 | 150 | 8.5% |
| North Dakota | 940 | 140 | 4.4% |
| Kentucky | 900 | 130 | 7.1% |
| New Hampshire | 840 | 120 | 9.1% |
| Arkansas | 830 | 120 | 15.3% |
| Idaho | 820 | 120 | 13.9% |
| Vermont | 800 | 120 | 8.1% |
| District of Columbia | 590 | 90 | 22.9% |
| West Virginia | 490 | 70 | 2.1% |
| Alaska | 410 | 60 | 2.5% |
| South Dakota | 350 | 50 | 9.4% |
| Delaware | 310 | 50 | 19.2% |
| Guam | 130 | 20 | 18.2% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Johnson & Wales University-Providence
- Degrees each year
- 168
- Admit rate
- 84%
- Annual cost after aid
- $28,000
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
- Degrees each year
- 22
- Admit rate
- 88%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
Drexel University
- Degrees each year
- 10
- Admit rate
- 78%
- Annual cost after aid
- $35,000
College of the Ozarks
- Degrees each year
- 4
- Admit rate
- 15%
- Annual cost after aid
- $5,000
Texas Woman's University
- Degrees each year
- 3
- Admit rate
- 95%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
Central Washington University
- Degrees each year
- 3
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
Dominican University
- Degrees each year
- 1
- Admit rate
- 80%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 1
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
Compare every college offering culinary arts and related services