Chef Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Chefs and Head Cooks earn a median of $62,470 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 23% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $30.03/hr. The middle half earn between $48,440 and $78,750. The top 10% earn $98,560 or more.

The median hourly wage for chefs and head cooks is $30.03 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $62,470 annual median works out to about $5,210 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of chefs and head cooks earn less than $37,900 a year and the bottom quarter less than $48,440 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

Rarely. Even the 90th percentile is $98,560, so fewer than 10% of chefs and head cooks earn $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No state's median reaches $100,000; the highest is Rhode Island at $79,930.

The highest state medians for Chefs and Head Cooks are Rhode Island ($79,930), Hawaii ($77,360), District of Columbia ($76,420) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $84,016.

BLS does not split chefs and head cooks' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $98,560, against a median of $62,470 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are Rhode Island ($79,930), Hawaii ($77,360), District of Columbia ($76,420). BLS also counts a specialty career inside this occupation (corporate executive chef), which shares its federal pay figures.

No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Chefs and Head Cooks. Employers typically expect 5 years or more of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 54.2% hold associate's degree or other 2-year degree.

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6.6% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 25,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Chefs and head cooks oversee the daily food preparation at restaurants and other places where food is served. A core O*NET task: monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Presentation software.

Most work more than 40. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 79% of chefs and head cooks usually work more than 40 hours a week, 21% work exactly 40 and 0% work fewer. 54% say their schedule is regular and 42% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Chefs and Head Cooks highest on the Enterprising, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

There is no required programme. BLS puts the usual path at a high school diploma plus years of kitchen experience. Culinary programmes at community colleges, technical schools and culinary arts schools vary in length, and ACF certification levels are gated on years of supervisory experience (two years at Certified Sous Chef, three at Certified Chef de Cuisine, five at Certified Executive Chef) rather than on programme hours.

Not a state license. No state licenses chefs. What varies is food safety certification, and it varies below the state level as often as at it. BLS says only that some states and localities require a food handler's certification and that you should contact your state or local licensing board. The FDA Food Code is a model that local, state, tribal and federal regulators adopt and amend, which is why the requirement can differ between two counties in the same state: whether you need a food handler card, how quickly after hire, how long it lasts, and whether the kitchen also needs a certified food protection manager on duty are all decided locally.

The ACF written and practical certification exams. From Certified Culinarian upward, ACF certification requires a written exam and a practical exam, although graduates of an ACF Education Foundation accredited programme are exempt from the practical at the Certified Fundamentals Cook and Certified Culinarian levels. The exams sit on top of the experience and 30-hour course requirements rather than replacing them.

Women make up 26.4% of chefs and head cooks, against 47.1% of all employed people: more men than in the workforce as a whole. Only 16.5% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs): a young workforce. The median worker is 40.5 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.