Chef salary: $62,470 median, and how to negotiate yours.
The full pay range by percentile, every state, the top-paying metro areas and similar roles, from the latest BLS survey. Place your own offer on the range.
The median annual wage for chefs and head cooks in the United States was $62,470 in May 2025 (BLS). The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $37,900 and the top 10% earned more than $98,560. That median is 1.2 times the $50,980 median for all occupations. The highest-paying state was Rhode Island ($79,930).
Data Government data groups this job as Chefs and Head Cooks (O*NET-SOC 35-1011.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.
- 10th percentile
- $37,900
- lowest-paid 10% earn less
- 25th percentile
- $48,440
- a quarter earn less
- 75th percentile
- $78,750
- a quarter earn more
- 90th percentile
- $98,560
- top 10% earn more
Chef salary in every state
Data BLS state estimates, May 2025. 51 states and DC published a median for this occupation. Sort by pay or by number employed.
- Rhode Island$79,930
- Hawaii$77,360
- District of Columbia$76,420
- Washington$76,010
- North Dakota$74,740
- California31,670
- Florida19,670
- New York17,430
- Texas13,270
- Pennsylvania9,170
| State | 10th–90th percentile | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $79,930 | $56,680–$127,080 | 740 |
| Hawaii | $77,360 | $48,970–$118,000 | 1,240 |
| District of Columbia | $76,420 | $56,570–$104,660 | 2,020 |
| Washington | $76,010 | $49,920–$95,990 | 5,320 |
| North Dakota | $74,740 | $48,240–$85,190 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $74,280 | $49,200–$100,100 | 9,100 |
| Wyoming | $73,170 | $48,460–$98,580 | 240 |
| South Carolina | $71,860 | $47,640–$88,880 | 2,650 |
| New York | $70,670 | $46,260–$120,370 | 17,430 |
| Tennessee | $69,810 | $45,410–$98,860 | 3,820 |
| Massachusetts | $69,540 | $47,460–$99,270 | 6,000 |
| Georgia | $66,230 | $43,300–$100,970 | 3,680 |
| Vermont | $65,440 | $48,950–$83,040 | 610 |
| Colorado | $65,400 | $46,330–$93,270 | 3,970 |
| California | $64,500 | $37,380–$101,870 | 31,670 |
| Missouri | $64,480 | $39,650–$91,500 | 1,750 |
| Connecticut | $64,310 | $44,530–$99,870 | 3,080 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,860 | $39,040–$95,830 | 9,170 |
| Oregon | $63,600 | $45,910–$95,180 | 2,510 |
| New Hampshire | $63,400 | $40,220–$95,990 | 1,170 |
| Virginia | $63,270 | $43,010–$90,470 | 3,600 |
| Minnesota | $62,600 | $48,400–$95,890 | 1,730 |
| Alabama | $62,400 | $39,940–$85,990 | 1,000 |
| Nevada | $62,380 | $36,410–$100,980 | 3,940 |
| New Mexico | $62,250 | $43,370–$100,010 | 770 |
| Maryland | $61,590 | $38,310–$100,330 | 3,220 |
| Delaware | $61,440 | $49,920–$84,680 | 590 |
| Wisconsin | $61,300 | $41,990–$87,570 | 1,860 |
| North Carolina | $61,130 | $38,210–$92,210 | 4,920 |
| West Virginia | $61,100 | $40,520–$88,690 | 350 |
| Nebraska | $60,510 | $39,650–$99,990 | 540 |
| Michigan | $60,070 | $42,170–$82,000 | 5,360 |
| Arizona | $59,890 | $33,970–$95,240 | 4,080 |
| Utah | $59,060 | $27,940–$79,420 | 1,740 |
| Illinois | $58,830 | $40,330–$88,420 | 8,290 |
| Oklahoma | $58,540 | $28,920–$77,450 | 1,430 |
| Kansas | $58,390 | $36,540–$89,990 | 860 |
| Florida | $58,240 | $31,920–$92,300 | 19,670 |
| Montana | $57,470 | $38,200–$80,180 | 720 |
| Maine | $57,010 | $48,430–$81,120 | 1,250 |
| Texas | $56,080 | $31,380–$92,290 | 13,270 |
| Mississippi | $54,850 | $30,900–$83,850 | 840 |
| Ohio | $53,990 | $38,370–$89,960 | 4,000 |
| Alaska | $52,190 | $39,170–$91,520 | 680 |
| Indiana | $52,190 | $30,930–$82,430 | 1,940 |
| Idaho | $52,000 | $33,590–$83,240 | 550 |
| South Dakota | $48,470 | $37,450–$57,820 | 300 |
| Kentucky | $48,070 | $31,550–$88,410 | 1,790 |
| Iowa | $47,990 | $36,770–$74,730 | 1,640 |
| Arkansas | $46,170 | $33,500–$87,730 | 880 |
| Louisiana | $45,570 | $32,320–$86,750 | 1,990 |
Where the median is highest
Data Metropolitan areas with at least 100 people employed in the occupation, BLS May 2025.
How the pay compares
Data National medians for related occupations (O*NET related roles, BLS pay).
Ask for more, calmly and in writing
Advice Uses only what you type. Replace anything in brackets with something true.
Our view If you cite market data, cite this page's source: the BLS median for your state and the percentile your offer sits at. A specific, sourced number is easier to agree to than a feeling.
How this page is built
Wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for May 2025 (national, state and metropolitan area), for the occupation shown. OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay: they include base pay, commissions, production bonuses and tips, and exclude overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation, not entry or senior levels.
- Pay at a specific employer, or for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Experience level: percentiles are not seniority bands.
- Equity, bonuses outside OEWS's definition, and benefits.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
More for Chefs
What the job is, skills, tools, pay and related roles.
Open →How to becomeChef how to becomeEducation, training and the skills to build first.
Open →ResumeChef resumeKeywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.
Open →Interview questionsChef interview questionsQuestions with what they test, plus practice mode.
Open →Free toolCheck your resumeParsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.
Open →