SOC 35-1011 · May 2025
Chef Salary
Chefs in the US earn a median of $62,470 a year ($32.07 an hour on average), according to the BLS May 2025 wage survey. Average Chef pay climbed from $56,310 in 2019 to $66,700 in 2025, a +18.5% change in 6 years.
Median annual
$62,470
Half of all Chefs in the United States earn more than this figure, half earn less. From the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release.
Wage trend
+18.5% since 2019 · +3.1% YoY
Hourly
$32.07
Job growth 2025-35
+6.6%
US workers
200,040
BLS series
Annual median wage for Chefs and Head Cooks in All Industries in the United States
Salary range
From entry to top decile
The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Chefs is $37,900 – $98,560.
Percentile distribution
USD · annual
10th
$37,900
25th
$48,440
Median
$62,470
75th
$78,750
90th
$98,560
Percentile bands
Where your pay would sit
Percentile bands
Annual wages at each point of the BLS distribution for Chefs. Where you sit depends on experience, employer, location and credentials.
| Percentile | What it means | Annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | 10% earn less. Common for new entrants | $37,900 |
| 25th percentile | A quarter earn less | $48,440 |
| Median | Half earn more, half earn less | $62,470 |
| 75th percentile | A quarter earn more | $78,750 |
| 90th percentile | 10% earn more. Often senior or specialist staff | $98,560 |
Geography
Chef pay by state
Chefs earn the most in Rhode Island ($79,930, +28% against the national median) and the least in Louisiana ($45,570). BLS publishes a May 2025 estimate for this occupation in 51 of 51 states and D.C.
National median
$62,470
Highest-paying states for chefs
| State | Annual median | vs national | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $79,930 | +28% | 740 |
| Hawaii | $77,360 | +24% | 1,240 |
| D.C. | $76,420 | +22% | 2,020 |
| Washington | $76,010 | +22% | 5,320 |
| North Dakota | $74,740 | +20% | 100 |
| New Jersey | $74,280 | +19% | 9,100 |
| Wyoming | $73,170 | +17% | 240 |
| South Carolina | $71,860 | +15% | 2,650 |
| New York | $70,670 | +13% | 17,430 |
| Tennessee | $69,810 | +12% | 3,820 |
All 51 states, highest to lowest
| State | Annual median | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $79,930 | 740 |
| Hawaii | $77,360 | 1,240 |
| D.C. | $76,420 | 2,020 |
| Washington | $76,010 | 5,320 |
| North Dakota | $74,740 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $74,280 | 9,100 |
| Wyoming | $73,170 | 240 |
| South Carolina | $71,860 | 2,650 |
| New York | $70,670 | 17,430 |
| Tennessee | $69,810 | 3,820 |
| Massachusetts | $69,540 | 6,000 |
| Georgia | $66,230 | 3,680 |
| Vermont | $65,440 | 610 |
| Colorado | $65,400 | 3,970 |
| California | $64,500 | 31,670 |
| Missouri | $64,480 | 1,750 |
| Connecticut | $64,310 | 3,080 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,860 | 9,170 |
| Oregon | $63,600 | 2,510 |
| New Hampshire | $63,400 | 1,170 |
| Virginia | $63,270 | 3,600 |
| Minnesota | $62,600 | 1,730 |
| Alabama | $62,400 | 1,000 |
| Nevada | $62,380 | 3,940 |
| New Mexico | $62,250 | 770 |
| Maryland | $61,590 | 3,220 |
| Delaware | $61,440 | 590 |
| Wisconsin | $61,300 | 1,860 |
| North Carolina | $61,130 | 4,920 |
| West Virginia | $61,100 | 350 |
| Nebraska | $60,510 | 540 |
| Michigan | $60,070 | 5,360 |
| Arizona | $59,890 | 4,080 |
| Utah | $59,060 | 1,740 |
| Illinois | $58,830 | 8,290 |
| Oklahoma | $58,540 | 1,430 |
| Kansas | $58,390 | 860 |
| Florida | $58,240 | 19,670 |
| Montana | $57,470 | 720 |
| Maine | $57,010 | 1,250 |
| Texas | $56,080 | 13,270 |
| Mississippi | $54,850 | 840 |
| Ohio | $53,990 | 4,000 |
| Alaska | $52,190 | 680 |
| Indiana | $52,190 | 1,940 |
| Idaho | $52,000 | 550 |
| South Dakota | $48,470 | 300 |
| Kentucky | $48,070 | 1,790 |
| Iowa | $47,990 | 1,640 |
| Arkansas | $46,170 | 880 |
| Louisiana | $45,570 | 1,990 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, state estimates, May 2025, all industries.
What affects this salary
Pay drivers for Chefs
Chefs and head cooks (BLS SOC 35-1011) direct food preparation in restaurants, hotels, and institutional food-service operations. Most chefs progress through line-cook positions with culinary-school training. Pay varies sharply by establishment type: fine-dining executive chefs and corporate-dining executive chefs typically exceed the OEWS median; quick-service and casual-dining head cooks fall closer to it. Restaurant ownership and equity stakes are excluded from OEWS figures.
The 10th-to-90th percentile spread is $37,900 – $98,560. That gap reflects experience, certification, employer type, geographic cost of living, and shift differentials where applicable.
Geography matters. The best-paying states for this role are Rhode Island, Hawaii and D.C.. Pay in Rhode Island runs 1.8 times the level in Louisiana, before any adjustment for cost of living.
Getting in. BLS lists the typical entry-level education as high school diploma or equivalent, and projects about 25,200 openings a year over 2025-35. Employment is projected to grow 6.6% over the same period, against 3.5% for all occupations.
Frequently asked
Questions readers ask
Frequently asked
What is the average Chef salary in the US?
How much does a Chef make an hour?
How much do Chefs make at the low and high end?
Which state pays Chefs the most?
Is the average Chef salary higher than the median?
Is Chef a growing career?
Open positions
Open Chef roles hiring now
Browse current Chef listings on Indeed and ZipRecruiter, filtered to your role.
Source & methodology
Wage and employment figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, May 2025 release. Standard Occupational Classification: 35-1011. Figures represent the national median, mean, and percentile distribution across all employers and industries. Hourly equivalents assume a 2,080-hour work year. Job growth, annual openings and typical education are from the BLS Employment Projections program, 2025-35; see the Occupational Outlook Handbook entry. Read our methodology for details on how the data is sourced, transformed, and refreshed.