Local bakery statistics show a broad U.S. workforce with 220,230 bakers employed in May 2023. The same Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) release reported a mean hourly wage of $17.09 and a mean annual wage of $35,550 for bakers nationwide. The figures below describe the baker occupation, including large commercial and local operations, so they provide context for local bakeries rather than a count of individual bakery businesses.
Table of contents
- National employment and pay
- State employment leaders
- States with the highest employment concentration
- Baker wages by state
- Metropolitan employment centers
- Smaller markets with high concentration
- Metropolitan wage comparisons
National employment and pay
The BLS May 2023 Bakers release measured 220,230 U.S. bakers. Its national wage distribution helps frame what baker work looked like during that measurement period. The mean hourly wage was $17.09, while the mean annual wage was $35,550. These are occupation-wide figures, not a forecast of what a particular neighborhood bakery must pay.
The wage percentiles show how reported hourly pay varied across the occupation:
- The 10th-percentile hourly wage was $12.00.
- The 25th-percentile hourly wage was $14.22.
- The median hourly wage was $16.80.
- The 75th-percentile hourly wage was $18.64.
- The 90th-percentile hourly wage was $22.59.
The median is a useful reference point because half of reported baker wages were below it and half were above it. The mean hourly figure, $17.09, was slightly above the $16.80 median. Together, these measures give local bakery owners, workers, and researchers several ways to describe pay without treating one number as universal.
The BLS May 2023 Bakers release also reported annual pay for selected locations. Annual figures are presented as reported by the source and should be read with the same May 2023 date and occupation scope as the hourly figures.
State employment leaders
State totals indicate where the largest baker workforces were recorded in May 2023. California employed 22,490 bakers, followed by Texas with 18,650 and Florida with 16,460. New York recorded 14,510 bakers, while Illinois recorded 11,570.
These are employment counts, not bakery counts. A state may have many bakers working for supermarkets, food manufacturers, hotels, restaurants, independent shops, and other employers. Still, the numbers identify the states with the largest measured pools of workers in the occupation.
| State | Bakers employed, May 2023 |
|---|---|
| California | 22,490 |
| Texas | 18,650 |
| Florida | 16,460 |
| New York | 14,510 |
| Illinois | 11,570 |
California’s total was the largest among the listed states, while Illinois rounded out this group of five. Because the BLS figures are tied to May 2023, they describe that period rather than current staffing levels or a future employment estimate.
States with the highest employment concentration
A different BLS measure is baker employment per thousand jobs. This rate places baker employment in the context of each state’s broader job market, so it answers a different question from the total-employment ranking.
Rhode Island had the highest listed rate at 2.81 bakers per thousand jobs in May 2023. Vermont followed at 2.50. Maine and Montana each recorded 2.19, while Utah recorded 2.13.
| State | Bakers per 1,000 jobs, May 2023 |
|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 2.81 |
| Vermont | 2.50 |
| Maine | 2.19 |
| Montana | 2.19 |
| Utah | 2.13 |
The contrast between total employment and employment concentration matters for local bakery comparisons. California had the largest listed number of bakers, but the supplied state-rate figures highlight smaller states where bakers represented a larger share of all jobs. Neither measure alone describes the number of storefronts, customer demand, or sales at local bakeries.
Baker wages by state
The highest listed state wage levels in the BLS May 2023 Bakers release were reported for Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Washington, Massachusetts, and California. Hawaii paid bakers a mean hourly wage of $20.94 and a mean annual wage of $43,560. The District of Columbia recorded $20.88 hourly and $43,420 annually.
Washington reported $20.39 hourly and $42,400 annually. Massachusetts reported $19.93 hourly and $41,450 annually. California reported $19.56 hourly and $40,680 annually.
| State or district | Mean hourly wage | Mean annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $20.94 | $43,560 |
| District of Columbia | $20.88 | $43,420 |
| Washington | $20.39 | $42,400 |
| Massachusetts | $19.93 | $41,450 |
| California | $19.56 | $40,680 |
These state comparisons use mean wages, not medians. They also should not be interpreted as a price list for a local bakery job: the source reports occupation-level averages for the specified geography and May 2023 period.
Metropolitan employment centers
The BLS metropolitan figures show how baker employment was distributed across named labor markets. New York-Newark-Jersey City employed 16,160 bakers in May 2023, the largest listed metropolitan total. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin followed with 9,880, and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim recorded 7,420.
Other large listed markets included Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land with 5,930 bakers and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington with 5,440. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell had 4,800, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington had 4,370, and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach had 4,290.
The remaining listed metropolitan totals were 3,760 bakers in San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, 3,510 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, and 7,420 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim. These labor-market names and boundaries are those used in the BLS May 2023 Bakers release.
| Metropolitan area | Bakers employed, May 2023 |
|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | 16,160 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 9,880 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 7,420 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 5,930 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 5,440 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | 4,800 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 4,370 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | 4,290 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward | 3,760 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 3,510 |
Metropolitan employment totals can help readers understand the scale of the labor market around a local bakery. They do not indicate how many bakers work in independent shops, nor do they separate production, retail, or specialty baking roles.
Smaller markets with high concentration
The BLS also reported location quotients for selected smaller metropolitan areas. A location quotient compares an occupation’s local concentration with its national concentration; the figures below are reported values from the May 2023 release, not estimates of bakery sales or customer traffic.
Rocky Mount, North Carolina, had 380 bakers and a location quotient of 4.83. Staunton-Waynesboro, Virginia, had 270 bakers and a quotient of 3.72. Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana, had 190 bakers and a quotient of 3.26.
Ames, Iowa, reported 200 bakers and a quotient of 2.98. Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, also reported 200 bakers, with a quotient of 2.86. Missoula, Montana, had 230 bakers and a quotient of 2.44.
The remaining listed markets were Lima, Ohio, with 170 bakers and a quotient of 2.37; Bend-Redmond, Oregon, with 310 bakers and a quotient of 2.33; Casper, Wyoming, with 130 bakers and a quotient of 2.27; and Chambersburg-Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, with 190 bakers and a quotient of 2.27.
The location quotient is especially useful when a smaller community has a modest absolute workforce but a comparatively strong occupational presence. It should be kept separate from the employment count: Rocky Mount’s quotient of 4.83 and its 380 bakers describe different dimensions of the same local labor market.
Metropolitan wage comparisons
The highest listed metropolitan wages were concentrated in several western and coastal markets. Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii, reported a mean baker wage of $25.14 per hour and $52,290 annually in May 2023. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue reported $21.44 hourly and $44,600 annually.
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward reported $21.14 hourly and $43,970 annually. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara reported $20.95 hourly and $43,580 annually. Napa, California, reported $20.64 hourly and $42,930 annually, while Modesto reported $20.58 hourly and $42,810 annually.
Other listed metropolitan wages included $20.24 hourly and $42,090 annually in Boston-Cambridge-Nashua; $20.14 hourly and $41,890 annually in Urban Honolulu; $20.11 hourly and $41,830 annually in Mount Vernon-Anacortes; and $20.02 hourly and $41,630 annually in Santa Rosa.
| Metropolitan area | Mean hourly wage | Mean annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina | $25.14 | $52,290 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | $21.44 | $44,600 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward | $21.14 | $43,970 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $20.95 | $43,580 |
| Napa | $20.64 | $42,930 |
| Modesto | $20.58 | $42,810 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua | $20.24 | $42,090 |
| Urban Honolulu | $20.14 | $41,890 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes | $20.11 | $41,830 |
| Santa Rosa | $20.02 | $41,630 |
The source also reported figures for nonmetropolitan areas. North Northeastern Ohio had 560 bakers with a mean hourly wage of $15.42. West Northwestern Ohio had 510 bakers and a mean hourly wage of $18.33. Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan had 420 bakers and a mean hourly wage of $17.39.
Those nonmetropolitan figures add useful context to local bakery labor comparisons because they show that the supplied data includes rural and regional labor markets as well as major cities. All of these wage and employment observations refer to May 2023 and are attributed to the BLS May 2023 Bakers release.