As of January 01, 2026, the average hourly rate for a Chef in the United States is $28, which translates to an annual salary of about $59,069.
However, the hourly wage can vary significantly based on several factors. Here’s a detailed look at the typical pay range per hour:
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A Chef's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.
Experience is a primary driver of a Chef's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Chef | $56,600 |
| Intermediate Level Chef | $57,161 |
| Senior Level Chef | $57,947 |
| Specialist Level Chef | $59,385 |
| Expert Level Chef | $62,541 |
What Am I Worth?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Cheves. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Demanded Skills for the Role:
| Skills | Demand Percentage |
|---|---|
| Presentation | 8.53% |
| Food Service | 2.44% |
| Food Handling | 1.35% |
| Skill | Salary | Salary % Increase |
|---|---|---|
|
Instructing
|
$66,748 |
13%
|
|
Production Orders
|
$66,157 |
12%
|
|
Customer Satisfaction
|
$65,567 |
11%
|
|
Coaching
|
$64,385 |
9%
|
|
SOP
|
$64,385 |
9%
|
|
Procurement
|
$64,385 |
9%
|
Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Cheves enter the field with a No Diploma degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Chef with a No Diploma is between $55,899 and $61,197).
Chef Salaries by Degree Level
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 1.8% |
| High School | 14.5% |
| Associates | 52.7% |
| Bachelors | 27.3% |
| Masters | 3.6% |
| Doctorate | 3.6% |
Understanding how a Chef's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Last Updated on January 01, 2026Salaries for a Chef can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $51,751 in 2023 to around $50,812 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Chef salary trends, .
| Year | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 2022 |
View More
|
| 2023 | $51,751 |
| 2024 | $51,465 |
| 2025 | $50,812 |
| 2026 |
View More
|
| 2027 |
View More
|
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Compensation PlanningHere are companies hiring for Chef and their salaries, click below for more details.
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Oversees kitchen operations, including menu development, purchasing, inventory, cost control, and sanitation. Creates and updates menus that will appeal to customers. Develops and tests new recipes. Monitors meal quality and guest satisfaction. May require an associate degree. Formal training at an accredited culinary institute is required or equivalent experience. Typically reports to an executive chef. Supervises a group of primarily para-professional level staffs. May also be a level above a supervisor within high volume administrative/production environments. Makes day-to-day decisions within or for a group/small department. Has some authority for personnel actions. Typically requires 3-5 years experience in the related area as an individual contributor. Thorough knowledge of functional area and department processes.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Presentation: Presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product.
Food Service: The foodservice or catering industry includes the businesses, institutions, and companies which prepare meals outside the home.
Food Handling: Food Handling means one or more operations of food production, manufacture, offering or displaying for sale, storage, preserving, wrapping, transportation, delivery, importation, exportation, or the licensing or approval for any of such activities.
Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.
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