What are the main factors that influence a Chefs And Head Cooks's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Chefs And Head Cooks's salary?

A Chefs And Head Cooks's salary grows with experience: starting around $48,281 for beginners, reaching about $51,569 at mid-level, and approach $52,363 for experts.

What are the highest paying states for a Chefs And Head Cooks?

Chefs And Head Cooks salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Chefs And Head Cooks roles are District of Columbia $53,151, California $52,950, Massachusetts $52,244. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Chefs And Head Cooks roles make?

Salaries for Chefs And Head Cooks level roles vary by specialization: Head of Advertising: $275,828; Head of Collections: $236,690; Head of Purchasing: $218,343; Head Chef: $87,300; Head Sommelier: $58,500.

How do different companies affect a Chefs And Head Cooks's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Chefs And Head Cooks roles. Large, established industry leaders like ToysRUs ($99,243) and Kia Motors Corp ($95,771) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $62,550.

Chefs And Head Cooks Salary in the United States

How much does a Chefs And Head Cooks make in the United States?

As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a Chefs And Head Cooks in the United States is $48,005 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $23.

However, a Chefs And Head Cooks's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $59,935
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $41,383 to $54,250
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $35,355

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Chefs And Head Cooks Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$54,250	$4,521	$1,043	$26
Average	$48,005	$4,000	$923	$23
25th Percentile	$41,383	$3,449	$796	$20

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Key Factors That Influence Chefs And Head Cooks Salaries

A Chefs And Head Cooks'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 and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Chefs And Head Cooks Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Chefs And Head Cooks'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:

Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $48,281
Early Career (1-2 years): $49,385
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $51,569
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $51,867
Expert (over 8 years): $52,363

Levels	Salary
Entry Level Chefs And Head Cooks	$48,281
Intermediate Level Chefs And Head Cooks	$49,385
Senior Level Chefs And Head Cooks	$51,569
Specialist Level Chefs And Head Cooks	$51,867
Expert Level Chefs And Head Cooks	$52,363

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Chefs And Head Cooks Salaries Vary from State to State?

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 Chefs And Head Cooks. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $53,151.
California: $52,950.
Massachusetts: $52,244.

District of Columbia $53,151 California $52,950 Massachusetts $52,244 Washington $52,052 New Jersey $52,033 Alaska $51,966 Connecticut $51,303 New York $51,034

Hawaii $50,175 Rhode Island $49,772 Maryland $49,498 Minnesota $49,124 Colorado $48,980 Illinois $48,932 Oregon $48,749 Delaware $48,615

New Hampshire $48,530 Virginia $48,341 Pennsylvania $47,789 Nevada $47,511 North Dakota $47,419 Michigan $47,275 Wisconsin $47,223 Vermont $47,117

Texas $46,824 Maine $46,805 Arizona $46,776 Ohio $46,743 Georgia $46,301 Indiana $46,080 Wyoming $46,037 Utah $45,970

Iowa $45,941 Kansas $45,710 Louisiana $45,643 North Carolina $45,619 Missouri $45,610 Florida $45,422 Montana $45,322 Nebraska $45,226

Kentucky $45,173 South Carolina $44,981 Tennessee $44,861 Idaho $44,813 New Mexico $44,462 Oklahoma $44,386 Alabama $44,102 South Dakota $43,627

Arkansas $43,368 West Virginia $43,229 Mississippi $42,811

Top Paying Cities for Chefs And Head Cooks

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $60,549
San Francisco: $59,886
Oakland: $58,624

San Jose, CA $60,549

San Francisco, CA $59,886

Oakland, CA $58,624

New York, NY $55,273

Paramus, NJ $54,601

Queens Village, NY $54,598

Passaic, NJ $54,553

Bergenfield, NJ $54,548

Stamford, CT $54,443

Huntington, NY $54,423

Newark, NJ $54,068

Bridgeport, CT $53,967

Vallejo, CA $53,871

New Brunswick, NJ $53,852

Petaluma, CA $53,823

Middlesex, NJ $53,732

Somerset, NJ $53,699

Santa Cruz, CA $53,636

Boston, MA $53,343

Monterey, CA $53,175

Seattle, WA $53,065

Santa Rosa, CA $53,055

Los Angeles, CA $53,041

Juneau, AK $52,916

Washington, DC $52,863

Orange, CA $52,692

Santa Ana, CA $52,566

Long Beach, CA $52,518

Anaheim, CA $52,508

Anchorage, AK $52,484

Santa Maria, CA $52,340

Everett, WA $52,330

Danbury, CT $52,161

Bremerton, WA $52,095

Tacoma, WA $51,922

New Suffolk, NY $51,921

Sacramento, CA $51,908

Santa Barbara, CA $51,855

Trenton, NJ $51,802

San Diego, CA $51,802

Brockton, MA $51,749

Fairbanks, AK $51,632

Lompoc, CA $51,509

Lowell, MA $51,471

Ventura, CA $51,461

Nashua, NH $51,452

Stockton, CA $51,447

Modesto, CA $51,097

Poughkeepsie, NY $50,991

Olympia, WA $50,900

Kennewick, WA $50,900

New Haven, CT $50,881

Lawrence, MA $50,708

Hartford, CT $50,660

Riverside, CA $50,650

New Bedford, MA $50,602

Richland, WA $50,602

Bakersfield, CA $50,535

San Bernardino, CA $50,516

New Britain, CT $50,511

Atlantic City, NJ $50,511

New London, CT $50,492

Norwich, CT $50,477

Portsmouth, NH $50,468

Boulder, CO $50,366

Portland, OR $50,300

Worcester, MA $50,295

Minneapolis, MN $50,146

Philadelphia, PA $50,079

Honolulu, HI $49,921

Saint Paul, MN $49,897

Vineland, NJ $49,887

Providence, RI $49,748

Chicago, IL $49,608

Bellingham, WA $49,551

Springfield, MA $49,512

Baltimore, MD $49,498

Chico, CA $49,378

Pittsfield, MA $49,248

Manchester, NH $49,157

Spokane, WA $48,946

Denver, CO $48,941

Albany, NY $48,716

Troy, NY $48,696

Nassau, NY $48,645

Schenectady, NY $48,596

Wilmington, DE $48,557

Burlington, VT $48,490

Salem, OR $48,471

Portland, ME $48,322

Yakima, WA $48,274

Rochester, MN $48,125

Reno, NV $48,101

Fresno, CA $48,101

Milwaukee, WI $48,058

Detroit, MI $48,010

Ann Arbor, MI $48,002

Allentown, PA $47,995

Colorado Springs, CO $47,914

Syracuse, NY $47,890

Carson City, NV $47,890

Houston, TX $47,823

Eugene, OR $47,799

Gary, IN $47,741

Springfield, OR $47,703

Bismarck, ND $47,693

Galveston, TX $47,659

Medford, OR $47,587

Fort Collins, CO $47,568

Concord, NH $47,544

Austin, TX $47,530

Mesa, AZ $47,429

Reading, PA $47,424

Phoenix, AZ $47,419

Dallas, TX $47,405

Saint Cloud, MN $47,359

Madison, WI $47,295

Utica, NY $47,165

Rochester, NY $47,088

Des Moines, IA $47,083

Raleigh, NC $47,079

Atlanta, GA $47,007

Battle Creek, MI $46,992

Salt Lake City, UT $46,978

Lancaster, PA $46,906

Harrisburg, PA $46,839

Kansas City, MO $46,791

Champaign, IL $46,781

Kansas City, KS $46,781

Fort Worth, TX $46,776

Columbus, OH $46,768

Boca Raton, FL $46,757

Pittsburgh, PA $46,738

Richmond, VA $46,719

Indianapolis, IN $46,709

Cleveland, OH $46,704

Las Vegas, NV $46,647

Cincinnati, OH $46,647

Petersburg, VA $46,575

Huntsville, AL $46,503

Lansing, MI $46,470

Lebanon, PA $46,464

Pueblo, CO $46,459

Appleton, WI $46,445

Buffalo, NY $46,426

Dayton, OH $46,411

Racine, WI $46,402

Charlotte, NC $46,397

Saint Louis, MO $46,383

York, PA $46,354

Elkhart, IN $46,354

Gastonia, NC $46,345

Billings, MT $46,333

Beaumont, TX $46,320

Lorain, OH $46,311

Benton Harbor, MI $46,301

Toledo, OH $46,291

Binghamton, NY $46,267

Rock Hill, SC $46,263

Rockford, IL $46,239

Springfield, IL $46,219

Elyria, OH $46,215

Fargo, ND $46,215

Flagstaff, AZ $46,181

Fort Lauderdale, FL $46,152

Duluth, MN $46,123

Miami, FL $46,123

Cheyenne, WY $46,090

Grand Forks, ND $46,090

Bangor, ME $45,984

Cedar Rapids, IA $45,931

Durham, NC $45,911

Louisville, KY $45,907

Grand Rapids, MI $45,898

Hialeah, FL $45,893

Casper, WY $45,826

Scranton, PA $45,768

New Orleans, LA $45,754

Virginia Beach, VA $45,749

Akron, OH $45,725

Peoria, IL $45,662

Sarasota, FL $45,653

Nashville, TN $45,619

Omaha, NE $45,619

Green Bay, WI $45,619

Baton Rouge, LA $45,595

Charleston, SC $45,586

Jamestown, NY $45,562

Davenport, IA $45,562

Tucson, AZ $45,538

Saint Petersburg, FL $45,509

Tampa, FL $45,499

Evansville, IN $45,470

Port Arthur, TX $45,470

Bradenton, FL $45,451

Santa Fe, NM $45,365

Orlando, FL $45,278

Clearwater, FL $45,264

Canton, OH $45,163

La Crosse, WI $45,163

Albuquerque, NM $45,134

Newport News, VA $45,130

High Point, NC $45,115

Ogden, UT $45,096

Corpus Christi, TX $45,058

Norfolk, VA $45,029

Laramie, WY $45,029

Rock Island, IL $45,000

Saginaw, MI $44,990

Jacksonville, FL $44,986

Salisbury, NC $44,976

Boise, ID $44,966

Moline, IL $44,942

Fort Myers, FL $44,928

Memphis, TN $44,918

Tulsa, OK $44,894

Waterloo, IA $44,866

Spartanburg, SC $44,818

Lincoln, NE $44,794

Fort Wayne, IN $44,784

Provo, UT $44,779

Cedar Falls, IA $44,722

San Antonio, TX $44,702

Greensboro, NC $44,683

South Bend, IN $44,678

Savannah, GA $44,626

Muskegon, MI $44,606

Birmingham, AL $44,602

Winston Salem, NC $44,578

Lake Charles, LA $44,462

Anderson, IN $44,453

Lexington, KY $44,438

Augusta, GA $44,424

Greenville, SC $44,424

Lima, OH $44,386

Wichita, KS $44,381

Tuscaloosa, AL $44,381

Columbia, SC $44,338

Springfield, OH $44,328

Asheville, NC $44,251

Bloomington, IN $44,217

Knoxville, TN $44,045

Shreveport, LA $44,040

Wilmington, NC $43,977

Roanoke, VA $43,977

Topeka, KS $43,891

Frankfort, KY $43,886

Oklahoma City, OK $43,853

Chillicothe, OH $43,833

Longview, TX $43,829

Melbourne, FL $43,824

Sioux Falls, SD $43,747

Mobile, AL $43,742

Terre Haute, IN $43,723

Altoona, PA $43,694

Amarillo, TX $43,661

Killeen, TX $43,646

Fayetteville, AR $43,608

Chattanooga, TN $43,593

Sioux City, IA $43,550

Idaho Falls, ID $43,541

Lynchburg, VA $43,502

Gainesville, FL $43,440

Portsmouth, OH $43,416

Little Rock, AR $43,406

Lafayette, LA $43,387

Youngstown, OH $43,387

Daytona Beach, FL $43,358

Clarksville, TN $43,353

Pensacola, FL $43,349

Temple, TX $43,345

Hopkinsville, KY $43,205

Erie, PA $43,195

Florence, SC $43,176

Charleston, WV $43,099

Great Falls, MT $43,075

Macon, GA $43,008

Tallahassee, FL $43,003

Fayetteville, NC $42,993

Waco, TX $42,984

Helena, MT $42,950

Pine Bluff, AR $42,932

Vincennes, IN $42,873

Lubbock, TX $42,854

Alamogordo, NM $42,825

Twin Falls, ID $42,782

Rapid City, SD $42,768

Jackson, MS $42,681

Huntington, WV $42,678

Greenville, MS $42,677

Parkersburg, WV $42,628

Montgomery, AL $42,619

Wichita Falls, TX $42,571

Springfield, MO $42,571

Biloxi, MS $42,547

Monroe, LA $42,499

Johnstown, PA $42,465

Sumter, SC $42,446

Columbus, GA $42,441

Pascagoula, MS $42,350

Abilene, TX $42,350

Kingsport, TN $42,225

Albany, GA $42,225

Gulfport, MS $42,211

Alexandria, LA $42,052

Fort Smith, AR $41,932

El Paso, TX $41,803

Las Cruces, NM $41,587

Harlingen, TX $41,465

Pocatello, ID $41,457

Florence, AL $41,395

Brownsville, TX $41,385

Mcallen, TX $41,284

Dothan, AL $41,217

Columbus, MS $40,932

Altus, OK $40,708

Lawton, OK $40,617

Pierre, SD $40,444

What Skills Can Increase a Chefs And Head Cooks's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Customer Service (Mentioned in 5.42% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
Preventative Maintenance (Mentioned in 4.08% Job Postings): Developing and implementing maintenance strategies to increase equipment life expectancy and avoid unplanned downtime.
Telecommunications (Mentioned in 2.83% Job Postings): Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio or optical. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that feasible with the human voice.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Customer Service	5.42%
Preventative Maintenance	4.08%
Telecommunications	2.83%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Chefs And Head Cooks's salary.

Plumbing: Can increase your salary by up to 18%.
HVAC: Can increase your salary by up to 16%.
Carpentry: Can increase your salary by up to 15%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Plumbing	$56,646	18%
HVAC	$55,686	16%
Carpentry	$55,206	15%
Telecommunications	$53,286	11%
Quality Control	$52,806	10%
Communicates Effectively	$52,806	10%

Get Latest Data

Chefs And Head Cooks Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Chefs And Head Cooks'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 August 01, 2026

$41,383

Average $48,005/year

$54,250

$3,449

Average $4,000/month

$4,521

$796

Average $923/week

$1,043

$20

Average $23/hour

$26

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$54,250	$4,521	$1,043	$26
Average	$48,005	$4,000	$923	$23
25th Percentile	$41,383	$3,449	$796	$20

Salaries of jobs related to Chefs And Head Cooks

Salary Trends for Chefs And Head Cooks

Salaries for a Chefs And Head Cooks can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $45,364 in 2023 to around $44,930 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Chefs And Head Cooks salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Chefs And Head Cooks Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$45,364

2024

$45,488

2025

$44,930

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$45,364
2024	$45,488
2025	$44,930
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Chefs And Head Cooks

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Time Off (days)

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

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