First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
Median $44,080
Occupation · SOC 35-1011
Chefs and Head Cooks: pay and where the jobs are
What chefs and head cooks earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$62,470 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $66,700
- Median hourly wage
- $30.03
- Mean hourly wage
- $32.07
- Employment
- 200,040
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 35-1011.
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See where your pay falls among chefs and head cooks nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do chefs and head cooks make?
The median annual wage for chefs and head cooks was $62,470 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $37,900 and the highest-paid 10% more than $98,560. As an hourly rate, the median is $30.03. About 200,040 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Rhode Island ($79,930), Hawaii ($77,360) and District of Columbia ($76,420). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in North Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for chefs and head cooks looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,900 | $18.22 | $3,158 | $2,719 |
| 25th percentile | $48,440 | $23.29 | $4,037 | $3,425 |
| Median | $62,470 | $30.03 | $5,206 | $4,365 |
| 75th percentile | $78,750 | $37.86 | $6,563 | $5,353 |
| 90th percentile | $98,560 | $47.39 | $8,213 | $6,514 |
Chefs and Head Cooks: pay by state
53 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$68,809 take-home in national prices
2
$65,060 take-home in national prices
3
$63,069 take-home in national prices
Where a median chefs and head cook paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 740 | $79,930 | $56,680 | $127,080 | $61,801 | $60,423 |
| Hawaii | 1,240 | $77,360 | $48,970 | $118,000 | $58,790 | $53,470 |
| District of Columbia | 2,020 | $76,420 | $56,570 | $104,660 | $59,064 | $53,743 |
| Washington | 5,320 | $76,010 | $49,920 | $95,990 | $61,249 | $57,235 |
| North Dakota | 100 | $74,740 | $48,240 | $85,190 | $61,211 | $68,809 |
| New Jersey | 9,100 | $74,280 | $49,200 | $100,100 | $58,027 | $53,332 |
| Wyoming | 240 | $73,170 | $48,460 | $98,580 | $60,305 | $65,060 |
| South Carolina | 2,650 | $71,860 | $47,640 | $88,880 | $56,934 | $60,731 |
| New York | 17,430 | $70,670 | $46,260 | $120,370 | $54,991 | $50,955 |
| Tennessee | 3,820 | $69,810 | $45,410 | $98,860 | $57,941 | $63,069 |
| Massachusetts | 6,000 | $69,540 | $47,460 | $99,270 | $54,175 | $51,225 |
| Georgia | 3,680 | $66,230 | $43,300 | $100,970 | $52,839 | $54,874 |
| Vermont | 610 | $65,440 | $48,950 | $83,040 | $52,946 | $54,050 |
| Colorado | 3,970 | $65,400 | $46,330 | $93,270 | $52,272 | $50,724 |
| California | 31,670 | $64,500 | $37,380 | $101,870 | $51,233 | $46,272 |
| Missouri | 1,750 | $64,480 | $39,650 | $91,500 | $51,896 | $57,144 |
| Connecticut | 3,080 | $64,310 | $44,530 | $99,870 | $50,723 | $48,956 |
| Virgin Islands | 260 | $63,960 | $37,270 | $103,350 | — | — |
| Pennsylvania | 9,170 | $63,860 | $39,040 | $95,830 | $51,486 | $52,768 |
| Oregon | 2,510 | $63,600 | $45,910 | $95,180 | $48,586 | $47,006 |
| New Hampshire | 1,170 | $63,400 | $40,220 | $95,990 | $53,122 | $50,998 |
| Virginia | 3,600 | $63,270 | $43,010 | $90,470 | $50,194 | $49,645 |
| Minnesota | 1,730 | $62,600 | $48,400 | $95,890 | $49,470 | $50,162 |
| Alabama | 1,000 | $62,400 | $39,940 | $85,990 | $49,704 | $55,958 |
| Nevada | 3,940 | $62,380 | $36,410 | $100,980 | $52,302 | $52,313 |
| New Mexico | 770 | $62,250 | $43,370 | $100,010 | $50,438 | $54,698 |
| Maryland | 3,220 | $61,590 | $38,310 | $100,330 | $49,108 | $46,788 |
| Delaware | 590 | $61,440 | $49,920 | $84,680 | $48,568 | $48,662 |
| Wisconsin | 1,860 | $61,300 | $41,990 | $87,570 | $49,301 | $52,395 |
| North Carolina | 4,920 | $61,130 | $38,210 | $92,210 | $49,368 | $52,337 |
| West Virginia | 350 | $61,100 | $40,520 | $88,690 | $49,361 | $55,154 |
| Nebraska | 540 | $60,510 | $39,650 | $99,990 | $48,926 | $54,300 |
| Michigan | 5,360 | $60,070 | $42,170 | $82,000 | $48,144 | $50,037 |
| Arizona | 4,080 | $59,890 | $33,970 | $95,240 | $49,198 | $48,867 |
| Utah | 1,740 | $59,060 | $27,940 | $79,420 | $47,442 | $47,987 |
| Illinois | 8,290 | $58,830 | $40,330 | $88,420 | $46,683 | $46,702 |
| Oklahoma | 1,430 | $58,540 | $28,920 | $77,450 | $47,128 | $53,650 |
| Kansas | 860 | $58,390 | $36,540 | $89,990 | $46,638 | $51,781 |
| Florida | 19,670 | $58,240 | $31,920 | $92,300 | $48,976 | $47,359 |
| Montana | 720 | $57,470 | $38,200 | $80,180 | $46,413 | $49,039 |
| Maine | 1,250 | $57,010 | $48,430 | $81,120 | $45,532 | $46,916 |
| Texas | 13,270 | $56,080 | $31,380 | $92,290 | $47,240 | $48,673 |
| Mississippi | 840 | $54,850 | $30,900 | $83,850 | $44,790 | $51,511 |
| Ohio | 4,000 | $53,990 | $38,370 | $89,960 | $44,520 | $47,987 |
| Alaska | 680 | $52,190 | $39,170 | $91,520 | $43,854 | $42,843 |
| Indiana | 1,940 | $52,190 | $30,930 | $82,430 | $42,605 | $45,650 |
| Idaho | 550 | $52,000 | $33,590 | $83,240 | $42,314 | $44,311 |
| South Dakota | 300 | $48,470 | $37,450 | $57,820 | $41,126 | $46,425 |
| Kentucky | 1,790 | $48,070 | $31,550 | $88,410 | $39,239 | $43,522 |
| Iowa | 1,640 | $47,990 | $36,770 | $74,730 | $39,568 | $45,086 |
| Arkansas | 880 | $46,170 | $33,500 | $87,730 | $38,057 | $43,775 |
| Louisiana | 1,990 | $45,570 | $32,320 | $86,750 | $37,815 | $42,870 |
| Puerto Rico | 770 | $30,800 | $23,730 | $68,580 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 35-1011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.