Money · 1 of 5
What pastry work pays
Typical
$37,160
Starting out
$28,120
Running a pastry department
$49,020
The federal wage survey does not have a line for pastry chefs. It counts you under Bakers, where the national median is $37,160 a year and the bottom tenth start near $28,120. That group is mostly grocery and wholesale bakers, so a pastry chef leading a hotel or fine dining kitchen sits above it.