A pastry chef in the US typically earns between $37,000 and $62,000 a year: bakers had a median of $37,160 and chefs and head cooks $62,470 in May 2025, the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In Swiss hotels and restaurants the legal minimum for a trained pastry cook is CHF 4,528 a month (about US$5,500), paid 13 times a year.
There's no official "pastry chef" line in either country's statistics, so you have to read the categories around it. That's what this page does, with the sources listed at the bottom. Dollar figures for Switzerland are approximate, at the October 2026 rate.
How much does a pastry chef make in the US?
The BLS files pastry work under two occupations. Bakers, who "make breads, pastries, and other baked goods" in its own words, cover most pastry cooks in bakeries, hotels and restaurants. Chefs and head cooks cover the people who run a kitchen, which is where an executive pastry chef sits. Here's the full pay spread for both.
| Percentile | Bakers | Chefs and head cooks |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% | $28,120 | $37,900 |
| 25th percentile | $32,660 | $48,440 |
| Median | $37,160 ($17.86/hour) | $62,470 ($30.03/hour) |
| 75th percentile | $44,360 | $78,750 |
| Highest 10% | $49,020 | $98,560 |
| Mean | $38,480 | $66,700 |
Read it this way: a pastry cook straight out of school usually lands in the bakers' column. Moving up to pastry sous chef and then executive pastry chef moves you across into the second column, where the top tenth earn close to $100,000.
Where pastry jobs pay best in the US
- Hotels. Chefs and head cooks in traveler accommodation had a $74,380 median, the highest of any industry the BLS lists for them. Restaurants and bars: $60,580.
- Catering and contract food. Bakers earned most in special food services, at a $41,040 median, ahead of grocery stores ($37,240) and bakeries ($37,180).
Demand is growing, too. The BLS expects jobs for bakers to rise 6% and for chefs and head cooks 7% between 2025 and 2035, both faster than average.
Pastry chef salary in Switzerland
Swiss hotels and restaurants are bound by a collective labour agreement, the L-GAV, which the Federal Council has made compulsory for the whole sector. It sets a minimum monthly salary by qualification. From 1 January 2026, for full-time staff aged 18 and over:
| Category | Qualification | CHF per month | ≈ US$ per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| I a | No apprenticeship | CHF 3'713 | US$4,500 |
| I b | No apprenticeship, Progresso course completed | CHF 3'943 | US$4,800 |
| II | Two-year federal certificate (EBA) | CHF 4'070 | US$4,900 |
| III a | Three-year apprenticeship (EFZ), e.g. cook or pastry cook | CHF 4'528 | US$5,500 |
| III b | EFZ plus six days of further training | CHF 4'635 | US$5,600 |
| IV | Federal professional exam (Berufsprüfung) | CHF 5'293 | US$6,400 |
| Interns | Students of a recognised hotel or culinary school, during their practical training | CHF 2'390 | US$2,900 |
On top of that comes a 13th month salary: the L-GAV pays one extra gross monthly wage per year. A trained pastry cook in category III a therefore earns at least CHF 58'864 a year (about US$71,200). Those are floors, not averages; experienced pastry chefs in good hotels earn more.
Bakeries and confiseries outside hotels and restaurants have their own collective agreement with the bakers' association, which we don't quote here.
What pastry interns earn in Switzerland
The intern line in the table is the one that matters to students. At BHMS, every year-long pastry programme includes a six-month paid internship, and in Switzerland that pays at least CHF 2'390 a month gross (about US$2,900). Room, board and social security come off it: BHMS puts what students keep at around CHF 1,500 a month in the countryside with housing and meals provided, or CHF 800–1,000 in a city without them. Over the three internships of the BA in Culinary Arts and Patisserie, that's roughly CHF 43'000 gross. It helps; it doesn't pay for the degree. How placements work is explained on our sister site's internships page, and the school's own overview of the pastry track is on bhms.ch.
Pastry chef salary in the UK
The UK's National Careers Service publishes a range for chefs, from £22,000 for a starter to £40,000 for an experienced chef (shown on its chef profile in October 2026, without a reference year). It has no separate pastry chef figure, though it lists a pastry chef apprenticeship.
How to earn more as a pastry chef
- Get the qualification on paper. In Switzerland it decides your wage category outright; elsewhere it gets you through the door of better kitchens.
- Move into leadership. The jump from the bakers' column to chefs and head cooks is a jump from running a station to running a team.
- Choose hotels and large operations. They have the highest medians in the US data and the most structured pay ladders.
- Specialise. Chocolate, plated desserts and showpieces are the skills that separate a pastry chef from a production baker.
If you're starting out, our guide to becoming a pastry chef compares the routes in. The BHMS Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery is one year, including six paid months, and the 10-week pastry certificates are the short version. All prices are on the fees page.