Money · 1 of 5
What pastry work pays
Median
$37,160
Bottom tenth
$28,120
Top tenth
$49,020
The federal wage survey does not have a line for pastry chefs. It counts you under Bakers, where the 2025 national median is $37,160 a year and the bottom tenth earn $28,120 or less. That group is mostly grocery and wholesale bakers, so it may not match what a pastry chef leading a hotel or fine dining kitchen earns.