Chefs and Head Cooks Salary
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · 200K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$62,470
Median hourly
$30
Average annual
$66,700
Typical range
$37,900–$98,560
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Chefs and Head Cooks is $62,470 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $30 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts..
Most earn between $37,900 and $98,560 a year. There are roughly 200K people employed as chefs and head cooks in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Chefs and Head Cooks.
- Hourly
- $30.03
- Daily
- $240
- Weekly
- $1,201
- Bi-weekly
- $2,403
- Monthly
- $5,206
- Annual
- $62,470
$62,470 a year is around the 50th percentile for Chefs and Head Cookss. The median is $62,470.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1Rhode Island$79,930
- 2Hawaii$77,360
- 3District of Columbia$76,420
- 4Washington$76,010
- 5North Dakota$74,740
- 6New Jersey$74,280
- 7Wyoming$73,170
- 8South Carolina$71,860
- 9New York$70,670
- 10Tennessee$69,810
- 11Massachusetts$69,540
- 12Georgia$66,230
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1Terre Haute, IN$85,920
- 2Kahului-Wailuku, HI$84,990
- 3Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY$84,430
- 4Morgantown, WV$81,330
- 5Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$80,330
- 6Providence-Warwick, RI-MA$79,340
- 7San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$79,020
- 8Napa, CA$78,960
- 9Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ$75,740
- 10Vineland, NJ$75,050
- 11Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA$74,940
- 12Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$74,900
Related job titles
Employers advertise Chefs and Head Cooks roles under these titles.
Related occupations
What a Chefs and Head Cooks does
- Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
- Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
- Determine production schedules and staff requirements necessary to ensure timely delivery of services.
- Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
- Determine how food should be presented and create decorative food displays.
- Analyze recipes to assign prices to menu items, based on food, labor, and overhead costs.
- Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
- Prepare and cook foods of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or functions.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Chefs and Head Cooks make?
- The median annual wage for Chefs and Head Cooks is $62,470 ($30 per hour). Pay ranges from about $37,900 at the 10th percentile to $98,560 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Chefs and Head Cooks?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $66,700, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Chefs and Head Cookss the most?
- Rhode Island has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $79,930.
- Is Chefs and Head Cooks a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 200K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Chefs and Head Cooks do?
- Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.; Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.; Determine production schedules and staff requirements necessary to ensure timely delivery of services..