Chefs and Head Cooks Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for chefs and head cookss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- Rhode Island$84,860
- Hawaii$80,720
- District of Columbia$79,660
- New York$74,840
- Washington$74,670
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- South Dakota$47,900
- Louisiana$52,820
- Iowa$52,840
- Arkansas$53,820
- Indiana$55,060
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $84,860 | $79,930 | $41 | +27.2% | 740 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $80,720 | $77,360 | $39 | +21% | 1,240 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $79,660 | $76,420 | $38 | +19.4% | 2,020 |
| 4 | New York | $74,840 | $70,670 | $36 | +12.2% | 17,430 |
| 5 | Washington | $74,670 | $76,010 | $36 | +11.9% | 5,320 |
| 6 | Wyoming | $74,570 | $73,170 | $36 | +11.8% | 240 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $73,420 | $69,540 | $35 | +10.1% | 6,000 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $72,930 | $74,280 | $35 | +9.3% | 9,100 |
| 9 | South Carolina | $70,780 | $71,860 | $34 | +6.1% | 2,650 |
| 10 | Tennessee | $70,710 | $69,810 | $34 | +6% | 3,820 |
| 11 | Georgia | $70,450 | $66,230 | $34 | +5.6% | 3,680 |
| 12 | Colorado | $70,320 | $65,400 | $34 | +5.4% | 3,970 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $69,680 | $64,310 | $34 | +4.5% | 3,080 |
| 14 | California | $69,130 | $64,500 | $33 | +3.6% | 31,670 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $68,520 | $74,740 | $33 | +2.7% | 100 |
| 16 | Vermont | $68,130 | $65,440 | $33 | +2.1% | 610 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $67,890 | $63,860 | $33 | +1.8% | 9,170 |
| 18 | Oregon | $67,510 | $63,600 | $32 | +1.2% | 2,510 |
| 19 | Nevada | $67,380 | $62,380 | $32 | +1% | 3,940 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $67,080 | $62,250 | $32 | +0.6% | 770 |
| 21 | Nebraska | $66,990 | $60,510 | $32 | +0.4% | 540 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $66,910 | $62,600 | $32 | +0.3% | 1,730 |
| 23 | Missouri | $66,640 | $64,480 | $32 | -0.1% | 1,750 |
| 24 | Delaware | $66,590 | $61,440 | $32 | -0.2% | 590 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $66,530 | $63,400 | $32 | -0.3% | 1,170 |
| 26 | Maryland | $65,930 | $61,590 | $32 | -1.2% | 3,220 |
| 27 | Virginia | $65,320 | $63,270 | $31 | -2.1% | 3,600 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $64,600 | $61,100 | $31 | -3.1% | 350 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $64,210 | $61,300 | $31 | -3.7% | 1,860 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $63,960 | $61,130 | $31 | -4.1% | 4,920 |
| 31 | Alabama | $63,720 | $62,400 | $31 | -4.5% | 1,000 |
| 32 | Illinois | $62,810 | $58,830 | $30 | -5.8% | 8,290 |
| 33 | Michigan | $62,460 | $60,070 | $30 | -6.4% | 5,360 |
| 34 | Florida | $61,720 | $58,240 | $30 | -7.5% | 19,670 |
| 35 | Montana | $61,580 | $57,470 | $30 | -7.7% | 720 |
| 36 | Maine | $61,540 | $57,010 | $30 | -7.7% | 1,250 |
| 37 | Ohio | $61,220 | $53,990 | $29 | -8.2% | 4,000 |
| 38 | Kansas | $60,930 | $58,390 | $29 | -8.7% | 860 |
| 39 | Arizona | $60,330 | $59,890 | $29 | -9.6% | 4,080 |
| 40 | Alaska | $59,430 | $52,190 | $29 | -10.9% | 680 |
| 41 | Texas | $59,350 | $56,080 | $29 | -11% | 13,270 |
| 42 | Utah | $58,880 | $59,060 | $28 | -11.7% | 1,740 |
| 43 | Idaho | $57,390 | $52,000 | $28 | -14% | 550 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $57,190 | $58,540 | $28 | -14.3% | 1,430 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $56,910 | $54,850 | $27 | -14.7% | 840 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $55,770 | $48,070 | $27 | -16.4% | 1,790 |
| 47 | Indiana | $55,060 | $52,190 | $26 | -17.5% | 1,940 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $53,820 | $46,170 | $26 | -19.3% | 880 |
| 49 | Iowa | $52,840 | $47,990 | $25 | -20.8% | 1,640 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $52,820 | $45,570 | $25 | -20.8% | 1,990 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $47,900 | $48,470 | $23 | -28.2% | 300 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 454 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terre Haute, IN | $85,920 | $70,410 | 50 |
| 2 | Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $84,990 | $91,380 | 250 |
| 3 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $84,430 | $79,500 | 470 |
| 4 | East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $81,720 | $68,660 | 40 |
| 5 | Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area | $81,350 | $82,250 | 130 |
| 6 | Morgantown, WV | $81,330 | $71,340 | 70 |
| 7 | Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $80,820 | $84,520 | 250 |
| 8 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $80,330 | $76,820 | 3,740 |
| 9 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $79,340 | $79,440 | 1,070 |
| 10 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $79,020 | $80,150 | 1,280 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing chefs and head cookss (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities | $157,350 | $149,820 | 60 |
| 2 | Sector 52 - Finance and Insurance | $128,700 | $112,470 | 120 |
| 3 | Animal Slaughtering and Processing | $105,760 | $95,550 | 30 |
| 4 | Office Administrative Services | $90,010 | $92,860 | 630 |
| 5 | Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods | $89,990 | $83,990 | 30 |
| 6 | Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers | $89,990 | $79,880 | — |
| 7 | Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers | $89,990 | $79,880 | — |
| 8 | Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) | $89,280 | $89,800 | 1,440 |
| 9 | Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | $89,280 | $89,800 | 1,440 |
| 10 | Construction of Buildings | $88,410 | $81,920 | 70 |
| 11 | Nonresidential Building Construction | $88,410 | $85,050 | — |
| 12 | Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS | $86,300 | $83,390 | 1,930 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Top Skills
Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do chefs and head cooks make in the U.S.?
The median chefs and head cooks salary in the United States is $62,470 per year (mean $66,700), and about 80% earn between $37,900 and $98,560.
How much do chefs and head cooks make per hour?
Roughly $32 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $66,700 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays chefs and head cooks the most?
Rhode Island has the highest average pay for chefs and head cooks at $84,860 per year (median $79,930).
What is the job outlook for chefs and head cooks?
Employment is projected to change +7.1% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 24,400 openings per year.