Annual Salary, Salary Range, and Highest Paying States and Industries
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Chefs and Head Cooks
Chefs and Head Cooks direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts.
Table of contents
- Average salary
- Starting salary
- Salary rank
- Salary range
- Highest paying states
- Highest paying industries
Average salary
Starting salary
Entry-level Chefs and Head Cooks with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $30,300 to $39,420 per year or $15 to $19 per hour. Similar to any other job, their salary will increase as they gain experience.
Salary rank
We wanted to make it easy for our readers to compare the salary of Chefs and Head Cooks to all the other careers out there. So we created Salary Rank. We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers.
Salary range
| Level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $44 | $90,790 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $34 | $71,350 |
| Middle (Mid 50%) | $26 | $53,380 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $19 | $39,420 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $15 | $30,300 |
Highest paying states
| State | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| NJ | $40 | $83,700 |
| HI | $36 | $74,150 |
| RI | $36 | $73,950 |
| CA | $32 | $67,400 |
| MA | $32 | $65,850 |
| DC | $31 | $65,320 |
| WA | $30 | $63,070 |
| NH | $30 | $62,570 |
| NY | $30 | $62,050 |
| IL | $29 | $60,290 |
Another simple way to increase your salary as a Chef and Head Cook is to move to a higher paying state. However moving to a higher paying state like NJ doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the expenses at NJ might be much higher than where you are currently living at right now.
According to BLS, the highest paid Chefs and Head Cooks are in the states of NJ, HI, RI, CA and MA.
Highest paying industries
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation | $88890 | $42.74 |
| Office Administrative Services | $76750 | $36.90 |
| Federal Executive Branch | $74610 | $35.87 |
| Insurance Carriers | $74160 | $35.65 |
| Land Subdivision | $70790 | $34.03 |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries | $70710 | $33.99 |
| Technical and Trade Schools | $70520 | $33.90 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | $69250 | $33.30 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | $67740 | $32.57 |
| Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events | $67300 | $32.36 |
| Other Food Manufacturing | $66960 | $32.19 |
| Rail Transportation | $66650 | $32.05 |
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations | $65890 | $31.68 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries | $65070 | $31.29 |
| Traveler Accommodation | $64940 | $31.22 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods | $64330 | $30.93 |
| Spectator Sports | $64020 | $30.78 |
| Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water | $62200 | $29.90 |
| Special Food Services | $62120 | $29.87 |
| Gambling Industries | $61900 | $29.76 |
| Facilities Support Services | $61540 | $29.59 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | $61110 | $29.38 |
| Specialty Hospitals | $60800 | $29.23 |
| Civic and Social Organizations | $60360 | $29.02 |
| Real Estate | $59580 | $28.65 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | $59270 | $28.50 |
| Performing Arts Companies | $59140 | $28.43 |
| Local Government | $58880 | $28.31 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing | $58630 | $28.19 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities | $58550 | $28.15 |
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