Chefs and Head Cooks
SOC code 35-1011 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,900 | $18.22 |
| 25th percentile | $48,440 | $23.29 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $62,470 | $30.03 |
| 75th percentile | $78,750 | $37.86 |
| 90th percentile | $98,560 | $47.39 |
See where a wage ranks
Estimate only, based on linear interpolation between this occupation's BLS OEWS reported percentiles above.
Wages by state (May 2024)
State-level employment and wage estimates for Chefs and Head Cooks (SOC 35-1011), from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) State estimates, May 2024. Data available for 51 of 51 states/DC for this occupation.
| State | Employment | Mean annual | Median annual | 10th pctl annual | 25th pctl annual | 75th pctl annual | 90th pctl annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1,280 | $63,800 | $62,670 | $36,570 | $52,290 | $73,650 | $84,860 |
| Alaska | 780 | $60,810 | $57,610 | $32,270 | $44,410 | $76,160 | $89,180 |
| Arizona | 3,260 | $65,930 | $61,950 | $38,150 | $46,900 | $78,510 | $96,440 |
| Arkansas | 950 | $56,450 | $49,060 | $35,820 | $38,700 | $63,660 | $85,380 |
| California | 26,500 | $71,350 | $66,780 | $45,500 | $55,420 | $80,250 | $100,580 |
| Colorado | 4,180 | $67,380 | $63,990 | $44,490 | $55,900 | $76,590 | $90,480 |
| Connecticut | 3,600 | $71,630 | $62,540 | $40,380 | $49,940 | $83,480 | $112,660 |
| Delaware | 490 | $67,330 | $65,290 | $44,840 | $49,720 | $81,040 | $86,140 |
| District of Columbia | 1,940 | $79,090 | $74,000 | $55,130 | $61,770 | $84,710 | $109,370 |
| Florida | 17,170 | $62,540 | $59,580 | $31,040 | $37,440 | $76,790 | $98,960 |
| Georgia | 4,390 | $57,970 | $51,630 | $36,420 | $45,220 | $70,960 | $86,420 |
| Hawaii | 830 | $92,690 | $81,200 | $70,340 | $74,910 | $102,100 | $129,990 |
| Idaho | 420 | $54,940 | $50,010 | $36,000 | $42,610 | $67,760 | $79,740 |
| Illinois | 5,540 | $63,360 | $61,450 | $35,290 | $45,960 | $78,520 | $95,830 |
| Indiana | 1,140 | $60,190 | $57,140 | $36,620 | $43,570 | $74,070 | $90,060 |
| Iowa | 1,500 | $48,630 | $43,690 | $29,960 | $35,530 | $58,860 | $71,460 |
| Kansas | 980 | $60,920 | $58,290 | $35,590 | $45,750 | $76,700 | $87,960 |
| Kentucky | 1,860 | $51,800 | $44,220 | $27,110 | $33,090 | $64,320 | $87,550 |
| Louisiana | 1,860 | $44,940 | $38,340 | $22,500 | $28,690 | $57,790 | $77,330 |
| Maine | 1,290 | $57,550 | $55,860 | $45,140 | $50,450 | $61,820 | $76,800 |
| Maryland | 3,310 | $64,130 | $61,990 | $37,440 | $45,520 | $77,570 | $93,110 |
| Massachusetts | 5,330 | $75,900 | $71,330 | $48,070 | $58,060 | $90,100 | $111,360 |
| Michigan | 5,310 | $59,170 | $58,430 | $38,730 | $49,350 | $64,980 | $77,030 |
| Minnesota | 1,630 | $63,800 | $59,430 | $46,220 | $48,490 | $74,720 | $91,820 |
| Mississippi | 950 | $50,150 | $44,990 | $28,580 | $31,320 | $64,700 | $80,420 |
| Missouri | 1,590 | $62,180 | $59,220 | $35,720 | $43,570 | $76,470 | $90,960 |
| Montana | 500 | $58,090 | $55,650 | $38,020 | $46,070 | $70,160 | $78,990 |
| Nebraska | 600 | $66,690 | $58,390 | $40,880 | $47,080 | $78,500 | $111,300 |
| Nevada | 4,560 | $62,140 | $58,590 | $35,200 | $46,730 | $72,400 | $92,160 |
| New Hampshire | 1,260 | $61,370 | $58,400 | $36,970 | $47,340 | $74,080 | $90,170 |
| New Jersey | 6,060 | $75,020 | $69,660 | $53,250 | $62,400 | $83,240 | $99,510 |
| New Mexico | 400 | $60,750 | $55,170 | $43,510 | $46,080 | $71,670 | $89,030 |
| New York | 15,420 | $70,200 | $64,300 | $42,150 | $50,090 | $82,780 | $100,730 |
| North Carolina | 4,100 | $66,330 | $59,810 | $42,290 | $50,990 | $74,990 | $98,580 |
| North Dakota | 90 | $71,280 | $76,630 | $45,550 | $52,670 | $85,110 | $98,020 |
| Ohio | 4,040 | $60,700 | $56,700 | $37,030 | $43,830 | $72,880 | $97,920 |
| Oklahoma | 1,210 | $51,420 | $53,310 | $17,120 | $36,940 | $62,200 | $78,090 |
| Oregon | 3,640 | $63,720 | $60,270 | $44,470 | $50,080 | $75,490 | $87,820 |
| Pennsylvania | 7,060 | $62,500 | $59,630 | $39,880 | $46,230 | $74,530 | $90,210 |
| Rhode Island | 700 | $87,950 | $79,160 | $64,990 | $77,980 | $107,510 | $122,840 |
| South Carolina | 2,000 | $64,050 | $61,290 | $42,810 | $51,990 | $73,040 | $88,430 |
| South Dakota | 290 | $47,900 | $46,510 | $37,640 | $43,680 | $53,990 | $55,390 |
| Tennessee | 2,720 | $62,210 | $59,470 | $40,810 | $49,390 | $72,920 | $87,010 |
| Texas | 16,550 | $55,130 | $51,050 | $30,030 | $36,150 | $63,000 | $86,210 |
| Utah | 1,880 | $50,400 | $44,490 | $27,110 | $27,930 | $66,390 | $80,010 |
| Vermont | 530 | $68,650 | $63,270 | $52,000 | $59,370 | $77,780 | $89,250 |
| Virginia | 3,900 | $62,120 | $59,780 | $43,570 | $49,130 | $71,700 | $81,730 |
| Washington | 3,840 | $71,430 | $69,800 | $49,920 | $55,710 | $78,040 | $97,970 |
| West Virginia | 310 | $65,150 | $60,790 | $38,490 | $41,950 | $83,750 | $105,560 |
| Wisconsin | 2,130 | $62,300 | $60,170 | $32,180 | $47,910 | $75,340 | $90,560 |
| Wyoming | 330 | $69,510 | $64,790 | $46,590 | $52,630 | $80,000 | $93,920 |
Hourly by-state wages are in the source dataset but not rendered here (annual only, to keep this table a manageable width); see the source link below for the full file. BLS suppresses some state-level figures for reliability: an em dash (—) means BLS did not publish that figure for this state and occupation. Per BLS’s own field definitions: "*" = a wage estimate is not available; "**" = an employment estimate is not available; "#" = a wage equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year (all three are shown here as —, not guessed). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), State occupational employment and wage estimates, May 2024.
Similar-paying occupations in Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
- Cooks, Private Household 35-2013$47,940/yr
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 35-1012$44,080/yr
- Cooks, All Other 35-2019$37,690/yr
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria 35-2012$37,450/yr
- Cooks, Restaurant 35-2014$37,390/yr
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 estimates. Wage figures are BLS OEWS estimates and may not reflect current pay.