occupation · 35-1011 · detailed
Chefs and Head Cooks — wages and employment
Chefs and Head Cooks earned a median annual wage of $60,990 in the United States in May 2024, with 182,320 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Chefs and Head Cooks earned a median annual wage of $60,990 in the United States in May 2024, with 182,320 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $36,000 or less, the best-paid tenth $96,030 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $58,920 to $60,990, +3.5 %. The best-paying state is Hawaii at $81,200; the lowest Puerto Rico at $36,190. Among metropolitan areas, Kahului-Wailuku, HI pays the highest median, $87,410. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 182,320 | $60,990 | $64,720 | $36,000 | $47,710 | $76,790 | $96,030 | $29.32 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 172,370 | $58,920 | $62,640 | $36,040 | $45,590 | $75,590 | $93,900 | $28.33 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $81,200 | 830 |
| Rhode Island | $79,160 | 700 |
| North Dakota | $76,630 | 90 |
| District of Columbia | $74,000 | 1,940 |
| Massachusetts | $71,330 | 5,330 |
| Washington | $69,800 | 3,840 |
| New Jersey | $69,660 | 6,060 |
| California | $66,780 | 26,500 |
| Delaware | $65,290 | 490 |
| Wyoming | $64,790 | 330 |
| New York | $64,300 | 15,420 |
| Colorado | $63,990 | 4,180 |
| Vermont | $63,270 | 530 |
| Alabama | $62,670 | 1,280 |
| Connecticut | $62,540 | 3,600 |
| Maryland | $61,990 | 3,310 |
| Arizona | $61,950 | 3,260 |
| Virgin Islands | $61,930 | 280 |
| Illinois | $61,450 | 5,540 |
| South Carolina | $61,290 | 2,000 |
| West Virginia | $60,790 | 310 |
| Oregon | $60,270 | 3,640 |
| Wisconsin | $60,170 | 2,130 |
| North Carolina | $59,810 | 4,100 |
| Virginia | $59,780 | 3,900 |
| Pennsylvania | $59,630 | 7,060 |
| Florida | $59,580 | 17,170 |
| Tennessee | $59,470 | 2,720 |
| Minnesota | $59,430 | 1,630 |
| Missouri | $59,220 | 1,590 |
| Nevada | $58,590 | 4,560 |
| Michigan | $58,430 | 5,310 |
| New Hampshire | $58,400 | 1,260 |
| Nebraska | $58,390 | 600 |
| Kansas | $58,290 | 980 |
| Alaska | $57,610 | 780 |
| Indiana | $57,140 | 1,140 |
| Ohio | $56,700 | 4,040 |
| Maine | $55,860 | 1,290 |
| Montana | $55,650 | 500 |
| New Mexico | $55,170 | 400 |
| Oklahoma | $53,310 | 1,210 |
| Georgia | $51,630 | 4,390 |
| Texas | $51,050 | 16,550 |
| Idaho | $50,010 | 420 |
| Arkansas | $49,060 | 950 |
| South Dakota | $46,510 | 290 |
| Mississippi | $44,990 | 950 |
| Utah | $44,490 | 1,880 |
| Kentucky | $44,220 | 1,860 |
| Iowa | $43,690 | 1,500 |
| Guam | $39,390 | 190 |
| Louisiana | $38,340 | 1,860 |
| Puerto Rico | $36,190 | 630 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $87,410 | 160 |
| Morgantown, WV | $87,280 | 60 |
| Terre Haute, IN | $83,880 | 50 |
| Alexandria, LA | $80,290 | 50 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $78,390 | 1,020 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $78,050 | 1,180 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $77,380 | 450 |
| Napa, CA | $76,350 | 270 |
| Naples-Marco Island, FL | $74,990 | 600 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $74,970 | 2,680 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $74,640 | 4,020 |
| Salinas, CA | $73,260 | 340 |
| Vineland, NJ | $72,740 | 60 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $72,570 | 260 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $72,220 | 390 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $71,790 | 300 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $71,600 | 4,490 |
| Huntsville, AL | $70,960 | 130 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $70,090 | 1,980 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | $69,690 | 110 |
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