Chefs and Head Cooks Salary — US State Breakdown (2025)

✓ Sourced directly from BLS OES · Checked for accuracy at every rebuild · First published: 2026-08-25 · Last updated: 2026-10-25

✓ BLS Verified Rates — Updated July 2026 · Every figure checked against the official source dataset and reviewed by Jordan Morley at each rebuild, not generated or estimated by AI.

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US Salary Overview

The national median wage for chefs and head cooks in the United States is $62,470 per year, based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) — real government survey data, not an algorithmic salary estimate. Pay ranges from $37,900 at the 10th percentile to $98,560 at the 90th percentile. In the UK, the equivalent occupation (Chefs) has a median of £26,531 — figures are shown in local currency and are not converted. Signing a US offer? Employment contract templates at LawDepot cover offer letters, NDAs and employment agreements.

↑ Pay rank: #414 of 861 US occupations tracked on this site — higher-paying than roughly 52% of them, and #3 of 19 within hospitality & catering.

What This Job Involves

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.

Typical duties, per the US Department of Labor's O*NET occupational database:

• Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
• Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
• Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
• Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
• Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
• Check the quantity and quality of received products.

Source: O*NET OnLine, 35-1011.00 (US Dept. of Labor, public domain).

US Salary Percentiles

Median Salary by State

Salary in Context

Location makes a real difference here: Rhode Island pays around 160% more than Puerto Rico for this same occupation, based on the state breakdown above. If you're able to work remotely or are open to relocating, that gap is often larger than a typical annual pay rise.

The spread between the 25th and 75th percentile — roughly the band most people in this role actually fall into — is about 63%. A narrower spread suggests pay for this role is fairly standardised across employers; a wider one suggests more room to negotiate, or a role where employer type and seniority matter more than average.

Many people pair this data with a salary negotiation guide before accepting an offer.

How Does This Compare to the UK?

Chefs and Head Cooks is the US equivalent of chefs in the UK, which has a national median of £26,531. Figures are shown in local currency, not converted — cost of living, tax systems and benefits packages differ enough between the two countries that a currency conversion alone would be misleading. See the full UK breakdown, or use our comparison tool to set this role against another job title side by side, with location and experience-level filters.

What Affects Pay for Chefs and Head Cooks, and How to Use This Data When Negotiating

The figures above describe the market, not any one employer's ceiling. A few things generally explain where an individual lands within that range:

• Location: Pay for the same job title can vary by tens of thousands depending on region or state — see the location breakdown on this page for this specific role.
• Experience level: The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile mostly reflects years of experience and seniority within the role, rather than employer generosity alone.
• Employer size and sector: Larger organisations and higher-paying sectors tend to sit above the median for a given role; smaller employers and some non-profit or public-sector employers often sit below it.
• Qualifications and certifications: Professional qualifications relevant to a role can shift where someone lands within the percentile range, particularly in regulated or technical occupations.
• How common the role is: Roles with fewer people employed nationally tend to show wider pay variation than high-volume occupations, simply because the underlying sample is smaller and less standardised.

If you're using this page to prepare for a pay conversation, a few practical steps:

• Bring the actual percentile figures from this page into the conversation — a specific, sourced number ("the median for this role is £X") carries more weight than a general sense that you're underpaid.
• If you have several years of experience or a scarce skill set, anchor to the 75th percentile rather than the median — the median describes the middle of the market, not where an experienced hire should expect to land.
• Use the regional or state figure, not the national one, if your employer benchmarks pay nationally but you're based in a higher-paying area — the location breakdown above is the more relevant number to quote.
• Treat total compensation, not just base salary, as the real comparison — pension contributions, bonus structure and benefits can close a gap that base pay alone doesn't show.
• Time the conversation around a review cycle or a clear recent win, and bring both arguments — the market-rate evidence on this page and your own contribution — together rather than either alone.

Where This Data Comes From

The figures on this page come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) programme — a large-scale US government survey of employers, not a self-reported salary site or a jobs-board average of advertised (rather than actually paid) salaries. Figures are gross pay, before federal/state tax and FICA — gross pay is what's actually comparable across employers and states; take-home pay depends on each person's own tax situation and state of residence.

US occupations are classified under the US Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system, matched to the closest UK SOC 2020 equivalent for the comparison elsewhere on this page — that pairing is our own editorial best match, not an official government cross-reference. See About & methodology for the full data-sourcing notes that apply across every page on this site.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average salary for a chefs and head cooks in the US?

The US national median wage for chefs and head cooks is $62,470 per year (gross, before tax), based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025).

What is the pay range for chefs and head cooks in the US?

Pay ranges from $37,900 at the 10th percentile to $98,560 at the 90th percentile. This difference typically reflects experience level, employer size, and location.

Which US states pay chefs and head cooks the most?

The highest-paying states for chefs and head cooks include Rhode Island ($79,930), Hawaii ($77,360), District of Columbia ($76,420). Pay varies by state due to cost of living, local demand and industry concentration.

How much does chefs and head cooks salary vary by state?

The gap between the highest- and lowest-paying states is significant — Rhode Island ($79,930) pays roughly 160% more than Puerto Rico ($30,800). Check the state breakdown above for the exact figure in your location.

How does chefs and head cooks pay compare between the US and UK?

The UK equivalent role (Chefs) has a national median of £26,531. Figures are shown in local currency rather than converted, since cost of living and tax systems differ enough between the two countries that a straight currency conversion would be misleading.

← Back to the UK-focused chefs salary page

Data: BLS OES, May 2025 · ONS ASHE Table 14/15, 2025 provisional · Page built 2026-10-25