What Bakers earn in District of Columbia, DC
The median pay for Bakers in District of Columbia, DC is $38,650 per year, which works out to $18.58 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area, the labor market that District of Columbia, DC belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $40,970, which is 6.0% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 5,740 people working in this occupation across the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. District of Columbia, DC has roughly 681,294 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Bakers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $32,500 a year ($15.63 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $49,650 or more ($23.87 an hour). That is a gap of $17,150 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $35,380 at the 25th percentile and $45,550 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.5 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $18.58 an hour or $38,650 a year at the median for District of Columbia, DC. Before any deductions, that is $3,221 a month, $1,487 every two weeks and $743 each week. After taxes the same job pays $15.37 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Bakers
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Bakers this way: "Mix and bake ingredients to produce breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, or other baked goods."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Observe color of products being baked, and adjust oven temperatures, humidity, or conveyor speeds accordingly"; "Set oven temperatures, and place items into hot ovens for baking"; "Combine measured ingredients in bowls of mixing, blending, or cooking machinery"; "Measure or weigh flour or other ingredients to prepare batters, doughs, fillings, or icings, using scales or graduated containers".
Job outlook for Bakers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 262,400 jobs in 2025 to 276,900 in 2035, a change of +5.5%, faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 36,500 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 13.9% of current employment each year. About 10.1% of the people in this occupation are self-employed, and wage figures cover wage and salary workers only.
Typical entry-level education: no formal educational credential. Typical on-the-job training to reach competency: moderate-term on-the-job training. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $37,160 for this occupation; the District of Columbia, DC median of $38,650 is 4.0% above it.
How pay in District of Columbia, DC compares
Compared with the District of Columbia average
Pay for Bakers in District of Columbia, DC is in line with the statewide figure: $38,650 locally against an employment-weighted District of Columbia average of $38,650, a difference of only $0 (0.0%).
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Bakers is $37,120 across the contiguous United States. At $38,650, District of Columbia, DC pays $1,530 more, which is 4.1% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in District of Columbia, DC
Among the 618 occupations with published wages in District of Columbia, DC, Bakers ranks number 582 by median pay, ahead of about 6% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Computer and Information Systems Managers at $195,190 a year, which is $156,540 more than the median for Bakers.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Bakers earning the District of Columbia, DC median of $38,650, they add up to $6,685. The result is $31,965 of take-home pay a year ($2,664 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $17 goes to taxes and $83 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 17.3%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $22,900. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $2,510, an effective 6.5% of gross pay, well below the 12% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $2,396 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $560. FICA totals $2,957, which is 7.7% of gross pay.
State income tax in District of Columbia
District of Columbia income tax on this salary is $1,219 a year, or 3.2% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 49% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $102 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for District of Columbia, DC
IRS Statistics of Income data for District of Columbia, DC show an average adjusted gross income of $143,628 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 19.0% across all filers. Filers in the $25,000 to under $50,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 5.2%, compared with the 6.5% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in District of Columbia, DC
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in District of Columbia, DC: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $31,965 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For District of Columbia, DC, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $2,204 a month ($26,448 a year), and at $2,438 for two bedrooms. For Bakers, a one-bedroom absorbs 82.7% of take-home pay and 68.4% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 8.9% of gross pay for Bakers in District of Columbia, DC. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using District of Columbia residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,871 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $653, for $2,524 in total. Gasoline in District of Columbia averages $3.48 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,611.
What is left over
The basics cost $34,019 a year in District of Columbia, DC, but take-home pay for Bakers is $31,965. That is a shortfall of $2,054 a year, or $171 a month, before health care, transportation beyond fuel, debt or savings. Closing the gap would take roughly 134 extra paid hours a year at the take-home hourly rate of $15.37, or a second earner, a cheaper home or a roommate.
Local housing and commute data for District of Columbia, DC
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in District of Columbia, DC: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for District of Columbia, DC, set beside the District of Columbia and national medians.
Property taxes in District of Columbia, DC
Homeowners in District of Columbia, DC pay a median of $4,312 a year in real estate taxes, in line with the District of Columbia median of $4,312 and 38% above the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $737,100, the median tax bill is 0.58% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Bakers median of $38,650, a tax bill of that size would equal 11.2% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in District of Columbia, DC
Renters in District of Columbia, DC pay a median gross rent of $1,954 a month in the Census survey, in line with the District of Columbia median of $1,954. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $2,204 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $737,100, in line with the District of Columbia median of $737,100. Median household income is $109,870, in line with the District of Columbia median of $109,870, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 24.1% of that income.
Commuting in District of Columbia, DC
Workers in District of Columbia, DC who travel to a workplace spend an average of 30.0 minutes each way, in line with the District of Columbia average of 30.0. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 5.0 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 33.0% of workers in District of Columbia, DC work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Bakers afford to live in District of Columbia, DC?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $38,650 that ceiling is $966 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $2,204 is $1,238 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $42.38 an hour; the median for Bakers is $18.58, which is 56% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $15.37 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 33.1 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $2,438 a month means $1,219 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $11,820 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $9,766, which turns the shortfall into a surplus.
How fast you can save
With no monthly margin after the four basics, saving requires a change on one side of the ledger: higher pay than the $38,650 median, lower housing costs than the $2,204 one-bedroom rent, or a second income.
Frequently asked questions about Bakers pay in District of Columbia, DC
How much do Bakers make per hour in District of Columbia, DC?
The median is $18.58 per hour, based on $38,650 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $15.63 at the 10th percentile to $23.87 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Bakers take home after taxes in District of Columbia, DC?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $38,650 becomes $31,965 a year. That is $2,664 a month, $1,229 every two weeks or $615 a week.
How much tax do Bakers pay in District of Columbia, DC?
Total taxes are $6,685 a year, an effective rate of 17.3%: $2,510 federal income tax, $2,957 FICA and $1,219 District of Columbia income tax.
Do Bakers earn more in District of Columbia, DC than elsewhere in District of Columbia?
It is about the same. The local median of $38,650 is within 0.0% of the District of Columbia average of $38,650.
Can Bakers afford a one-bedroom apartment in District of Columbia, DC?
A one-bedroom costs $2,204 a month against take-home pay of $2,664, which is 82.7% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $966 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Bakers in District of Columbia, DC?
Nothing remains: the basics cost $34,019 a year, which is $2,054 more than take-home pay, a monthly shortfall of $171.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in District of Columbia, DC at the 30% guideline?
$42.38 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $26,448 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Bakers is $18.58.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the District of Columbia rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.