Chefs and Head Cook Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

There are about 115,000 jobs for chefs and head cooks in the US. The unemployment ranking for this career was high, compared to other occupations. About 5% of employees were without employment in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Chefs and head cooks are most common in Atlantic City (New Jersey), Brunswick (Georgia), and Barnstable (Massachusetts), and least common in Fort Wayne (Indiana), Tallahassee (Florida), and Provo (Utah).

Workers are paid the most in Terre Haute (Indiana), Sebastian (Florida), and Napa (California), and the least in Morristown (Tennessee), Mobile (Alabama), and Brunswick (Georgia).

Training and Education

Most employees have work experience in a related occupation. Approximately 14% of chefs and head cooks have a bachelor's degree. About 39% of workers have been to college without getting a degree. About 48% of employees obtain jobs with only a high-school diploma or GED. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Among chefs and head cooks, 8% work less than full-time. Some 7% of workers work for themselves.

Chefs and Head Cooks: An Introductory Video

Chefs and Head Cooks Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of chefs and head cooks compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for chefs and head cooks.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$43,000	190
Mobile	$25,000	110
Huntsville	$33,000	70
Montgomery	$44,000	60
Tuscaloosa	$26,000	50
Auburn	$31,000	30

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage		320
Fairbanks	$27,000	60

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$43,000	1,730
Tucson	$38,000	490
Flagstaff	$35,000	90
Prescott	$32,000	90
Kingman	$37,000	80
Yuma	$33,000	40

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$35,000	130
Fort Smith	$33,000	50
Fayetteville	$28,000	50

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
San Diego	$45,000	1,370
San Francisco	$53,000	1,350
Santa Ana	$43,000	1,160
San Jose	$44,000	860
Riverside	$46,000	790
Oakland	$48,000	640
Sacramento	$46,000	580
Santa Rosa	$47,000	260
Santa Barbara	$49,000	220
Salinas	$45,000	200
Oxnard	$44,000	130
Fresno	$39,000	120
Napa	$59,000	120
San Luis Obispo	$42,000	120
Stockton	$42,000	80
Santa Cruz	$41,000	80
Modesto	$52,000	70
Vallejo	$46,000	40

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$41,000	1,170
Colorado Springs	$43,000	220
Fort Collins	$38,000	110

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Hartford	$47,000	550
Bridgeport	$57,000	460
New Haven	$59,000	200
Norwich	$56,000	150
Danbury	$40,000	70

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$49,000	170
Dover	$42,000	40

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$53,000	2,200

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Miami	$53,000	1,010
West Palm Beach	$48,000	950
Tampa	$47,000	870
Orlando	$48,000	780
Fort Lauderdale	$45,000	500
Jacksonville	$43,000	330
Naples	$53,000	280
Cape Coral	$41,000	250
Sarasota	$47,000	200
Palm Bay	$34,000	140
Pensacola	$43,000	130
Gainesville	$33,000	100
Port St Lucie	$52,000	100
Panama City	$41,000	60
Sebastian	$65,000	50
Tallahassee	$52,000	30

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$36,000	2,080
Augusta	$30,000	170
Columbus	$38,000	120
Brunswick	$27,000	100
Macon	$29,000	50
Athens	$49,000	30

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$49,000	570

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Coeur Dalene	$33,000	40

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$38,000	4,070
Peoria	$29,000	210
Champaign	$46,000	140
Rockford	$30,000	110
Springfield	$32,000	80
Bloomington	$38,000	40

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$42,000	320
Gary	$45,000	60
South Bend	$37,000	50
Terre Haute	$58,000	50
Evansville	$37,000	40
Lafayette	$34,000	40
Fort Wayne	$36,000	40

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$35,000	110
Davenport	$34,000	110
Cedar Rapids	$47,000	40

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$31,000	140
Lawrence	$34,000	60

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$34,000	300
Lexington	$39,000	160
Elizabethtown	$34,000	40

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$38,000	720
Shreveport	$40,000	300
Baton Rouge	$30,000	200
Lafayette	$31,000	150
Houma	$41,000	150
Lake Charles	$41,000	130
Alexandria	$46,000	60

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$46,000	150
Bangor	$34,000	40

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$44,000	1,250
Bethesda	$46,000	750

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$45,000	2,340
Springfield	$39,000	370
Worcester	$38,000	260
Barnstable Town	$50,000	250
Lowell	$43,000	130
Framingham	$53,000	90
Haverhill	$40,000	80
New Bedford	$46,000	60
Taunton	$45,000	50
Brockton	$47,000	40
Leominster	$40,000	40
Pittsfield	$38,000	40
Lawrence	$44,000	30

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$44,000	670
Detroit	$45,000	630
Grand Rapids	$37,000	380
Kalamazoo	$35,000	180
Lansing	$37,000	170
Ann Arbor	$47,000	150
Holland	$40,000	150
Flint	$31,000	70
Battle Creek		40
Muskegon	$32,000	30

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$43,000	1,050
Duluth	$34,000	110
Rochester	$51,000	50

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$31,000	190
Gulfport	$33,000	180

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$41,000	700
Kansas City	$41,000	630
Springfield	$39,000	80
Columbia	$34,000	50

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Missoula	$27,000	60

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$37,000	340
Lincoln	$33,000	120

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$45,000	2,360
Reno	$45,000	300

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashua	$40,000	210
Manchester	$38,000	130
Portsmouth	$38,000	120
Rochester	$45,000	80

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Newark	$47,000	610
Edison	$48,000	600
Atlantic City	$54,000	410
Camden	$53,000	270
Trenton	$49,000	100

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$33,000	180
Santa Fe	$41,000	110

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$66,000	3,220
Nassau	$57,000	670
Buffalo	$43,000	250
Rochester	$44,000	250
Albany	$38,000	250
Poughkeepsie	$51,000	150
Utica	$41,000	100
Syracuse	$56,000	70
Glens Falls	$45,000	60
Kingston	$55,000	60

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$33,000	850
Raleigh	$38,000	440
Durham	$37,000	280
Greensboro	$39,000	130
Fayetteville	$31,000	120
Asheville	$38,000	120
Winston Salem	$42,000	70
Wilmington	$37,000	60
Hickory	$31,000	50

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cleveland	$41,000	650
Cincinnati	$42,000	490
Columbus	$44,000	360
Youngstown	$33,000	150
Akron	$41,000	110
Toledo	$56,000	110
Dayton	$45,000	90
Canton	$35,000	50

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$36,000	350
Tulsa	$30,000	290

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$39,000	760
Eugene	$32,000	130
Salem	$41,000	110
Bend	$45,000	80
Medford	$36,000	70

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$46,000	1,430
Pittsburgh	$36,000	840
Harrisburg	$39,000	220
Allentown	$39,000	180
Scranton	$34,000	170
Lancaster	$36,000	160
State College	$33,000	100
Reading	$38,000	80
York	$34,000	80
Erie	$33,000	70
Johnstown	$46,000	40

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$50,000	370

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Greenville	$46,000	280
Charleston	$41,000	270
Myrtle Beach	$40,000	200
Spartanburg	$42,000	60
Florence	$25,000	40
Anderson	$34,000	40

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$33,000	30

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Memphis	$32,000	480
Nashville	$43,000	360
Knoxville	$40,000	160
Chattanooga	$29,000	130
Kingsport	$38,000	70
Morristown	$23,000	40

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Dallas	$39,000	1,330
Houston	$42,000	1,170
San Antonio	$32,000	680
Fort Worth	$45,000	510
Austin	$38,000	490
El Paso	$29,000	170
Corpus Christi		90
Tyler	$32,000	80
Beaumont	$48,000	70
Brownsville	$29,000	40
Abilene	$34,000	30

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$47,000	280
Ogden	$42,000	50
Provo	$44,000	30

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$38,000	140

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Virginia Beach	$40,000	510
Richmond	$46,000	330
Charlottesville	$44,000	50
Roanoke	$35,000	50

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$50,000	770
Spokane	$30,000	210
Tacoma	$50,000	120
Bremerton	$46,000	60
Bellingham	$48,000	40
Mount Vernon	$46,000	30

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Morgantown	$43,000	50
Charleston	$40,000	40

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$37,000	540
Madison	$35,000	240
Appleton	$33,000	80
Green Bay	$40,000	70
Fond	$31,000	60
Janesville	$28,000	50
Sheboygan	$45,000	50
Racine	$28,000	50
Eau Claire	$34,000	50
Oshkosh	$31,000	40

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Casper		30

Our chefs and head cook career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.