Salary by state
Chefs and Head Cooks Salary by State
Median annual wage from the latest BLS Occupational Employment Statistics release. Hover any state for the cost-of-living adjusted figure. Click to open the full state breakdown.
Chefs and Head CooksBLS OES May 2025
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Chefs and Head Cooks — median wage by state
- Rhode Island: $79,930, COL-adjusted $78,133
- Hawaii: $77,360, COL-adjusted $70,327
- District of Columbia: $76,420, COL-adjusted $69,536
- Washington: $76,010, COL-adjusted $71,037
- North Dakota: $74,740, COL-adjusted $83,978
- New Jersey: $74,280, COL-adjusted $68,272
- Wyoming: $73,170, COL-adjusted $78,932
- South Carolina: $71,860, COL-adjusted $76,692
- New York: $70,670, COL-adjusted $65,496
- Tennessee: $69,810, COL-adjusted $75,963
- Massachusetts: $69,540, COL-adjusted $65,728
- Georgia: $66,230, COL-adjusted $68,775
- Vermont: $65,440, COL-adjusted $66,776
- Colorado: $65,400, COL-adjusted $63,434
- California: $64,500, COL-adjusted $58,266
- Missouri: $64,480, COL-adjusted $71,013
- Connecticut: $64,310, COL-adjusted $62,075
- Pennsylvania: $63,860, COL-adjusted $65,430
- Oregon: $63,600, COL-adjusted $61,509
- New Hampshire: $63,400, COL-adjusted $60,845
- Virginia: $63,270, COL-adjusted $62,582
- Minnesota: $62,600, COL-adjusted $63,489
- Alabama: $62,400, COL-adjusted $70,270
- Nevada: $62,380, COL-adjusted $62,380
- New Mexico: $62,250, COL-adjusted $67,516
- Maryland: $61,590, COL-adjusted $58,657
- Delaware: $61,440, COL-adjusted $61,563
- Wisconsin: $61,300, COL-adjusted $65,143
- North Carolina: $61,130, COL-adjusted $64,825
- West Virginia: $61,100, COL-adjusted $68,268
- Nebraska: $60,510, COL-adjusted $67,159
- Michigan: $60,070, COL-adjusted $62,443
- Arizona: $59,890, COL-adjusted $59,474
- Utah: $59,060, COL-adjusted $59,717
- Illinois: $58,830, COL-adjusted $58,830
- Oklahoma: $58,540, COL-adjusted $66,674
- Kansas: $58,390, COL-adjusted $64,806
- Florida: $58,240, COL-adjusted $56,325
- Montana: $57,470, COL-adjusted $60,751
- Maine: $57,010, COL-adjusted $58,713
- Texas: $56,080, COL-adjusted $57,755
- Mississippi: $54,850, COL-adjusted $63,046
- Ohio: $53,990, COL-adjusted $58,179
- Alaska: $52,190, COL-adjusted $50,967
- Indiana: $52,190, COL-adjusted $55,938
- Idaho: $52,000, COL-adjusted $54,450
- South Dakota: $48,470, COL-adjusted $54,707
- Kentucky: $48,070, COL-adjusted $53,293
- Iowa: $47,990, COL-adjusted $54,658
- Arkansas: $46,170, COL-adjusted $53,130
- Louisiana: $45,570, COL-adjusted $51,667
All states
51 of 51 results · sorted by value: high to low
- Rhode Island$79,930
- Hawaii$77,360
- District of Columbia$76,420
- Washington$76,010
- North Dakota$74,740
- New Jersey$74,280
- Wyoming$73,170
- South Carolina$71,860
- New York$70,670
- Tennessee$69,810
- Massachusetts$69,540
- Georgia$66,230
- Vermont$65,440
- Colorado$65,400
- California$64,500
- Missouri$64,480
- Connecticut$64,310
- Pennsylvania$63,860
- Oregon$63,600
- New Hampshire$63,400
- Virginia$63,270
- Minnesota$62,600
- Alabama$62,400
- Nevada$62,380
- New Mexico$62,250
- Maryland$61,590
- Delaware$61,440
- Wisconsin$61,300
- North Carolina$61,130
- West Virginia$61,100
- Nebraska$60,510
- Michigan$60,070
- Arizona$59,890
- Utah$59,060
- Illinois$58,830
- Oklahoma$58,540
- Kansas$58,390
- Florida$58,240
- Montana$57,470
- Maine$57,010
- Texas$56,080
- Mississippi$54,850
- Ohio$53,990
- Alaska$52,190
- Indiana$52,190
- Idaho$52,000
- South Dakota$48,470
- Kentucky$48,070
- Iowa$47,990
- Arkansas$46,170
- Louisiana$45,570
Highest- and lowest-paying states for chefs and head cooks
Ranked by median annual wage from the BLS 2025 release. The full sortable list is above; these are the extremes.
Highest-paying
- 1. Rhode Island$79,930
- 2. Hawaii$77,360
- 3. District of Columbia$76,420
- 4. Washington$76,010
- 5. North Dakota$74,740
Lowest-paying
- Louisiana$45,570
- Arkansas$46,170
- Iowa$47,990
- Kentucky$48,070
- South Dakota$48,470
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average Chefs and Head Cooks salary in the United States?
- The US median wage for Chefs and Head Cooks is $63,297 per year (BLS, 2025). Half earn more and half earn less.
- Which state pays Chefs and Head Cooks the most?
- Rhode Island pays Chefs and Head Cooks the most, with a median of $79,930, followed by Hawaii ($77,360). The lowest median is in Louisiana at $45,570.
- How much do Chefs and Head Cooks salaries vary by state?
- Chefs and Head Cooks median pay ranges from $45,570 to $79,930 across the 50 states and DC — a spread largely explained by cost of living and local demand. The table below ranks every state.
- Are Chefs and Head Cooks jobs growing?
- BLS projects a +7.1% change in Chefs and Head Cooks employment from 2024 to 2034 — faster than average.