How much money does a professional wedding-cake decorator make?

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Cake decorating has been popularized by television shows like "-Cake Boss"- and "-Cake Wars"- on various culinary channels. A wedding cake decorating business can be lucrative if the decorator is able to be creative and innovative with her designs. The pay for a wedding cake decorator will depend upon factors like geographic location and experience, but it will also depend upon whether the decorator is self-employed or works for someone else.

1. Determination of Pay

   • Cake decorators that work for bakeries are typically paid on an hourly basis. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that the average hourly rate of pay for bakers was $12.19, as of May 2010. Those working in the field of "-specialized food services"- made $12.29 per hour. Self-employed cake decorators are paid on a per-cake basis and are dependent upon their marketing efforts and their ability to produce multiple cakes as quickly as possible. The Cake Boss website indicates that many cake decorators charge two to three times the cost of the ingredients for their cakes when starting out, but the site also notes that most decorators significantly under-price their cakes in order to try to gain business.

   Pay Scale

   • The pay scale for those in the field of baking provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides some context for understanding. According to the bureau, salaries in this field typically ranged from about $16,910 to $37,320 per year, as of May 2010. Those in the middle half of the pay scale made salaries between $19,090 and $29,910, with a reported median salary of $23,450. Hourly wages ranged from $8.13 to $17.94 per hour.

   Location

   • Where a cake decorator or other type of baker works also provides some indication of how much they can expect to make. According to the report by the bureau, Hawaii, Alaska, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, and Massachusetts were the highest-paying locations in which to work. Yearly pay in these states and the district exceeded $29,000 in 2010. This means that these individuals earned over $14 per hour on average. Those in California made $27,030 per year, or $13 per hour, while the going rate in Texas was $10.51 per hour.

   Qualifications

   • No set requirements exist to become a cake decorator. The only real requirement is to have the ability and creativity to put together innovative wedding cake designs. Education Portal notes that those who want to become cake decorators can gain experience working in bakeries. Creating cakes on your time for individual clients can help you build a portfolio and make some additional money while perfecting your craft. Cake decorating companies, such as Wilton, also offer cake decorating classes in hobby stores and other locations across the country.

Source: www.ehow.com

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