Sort by any column. Employment is the number of chefs and head cooks OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Chef Salary by State (2026)
Chefs and Head Cooks earn the most in Rhode Island at $79,930 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $30,800 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $62,470. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $79,930
- National median
- $62,470
- Lowest median
- $30,800
- States reporting
- 53
Rhode Island
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Chefs and Head Cooks
- 1. Rhode Island$79,930 median · $78,148 adjusted · 740 employed
- 2. Hawaii$77,360 median · $70,359 adjusted · 1,240 employed
- 3. District of Columbia$76,420 median · $69,535 adjusted · 2,020 employed
- 4. Washington$76,010 median · $71,029 adjusted · 5,320 employed
- 5. North Dakota$74,740 median · $84,016 adjusted · 100 employed
Lowest-paying states for Chefs and Head Cooks
- 53. Puerto Rico$30,800 median · no price parity · 770 employed
- 52. Louisiana$45,570 median · $51,663 adjusted · 1,990 employed
- 51. Arkansas$46,170 median · $53,107 adjusted · 880 employed
- 50. Iowa$47,990 median · $54,682 adjusted · 1,640 employed
- 49. Kentucky$48,070 median · $53,317 adjusted · 1,790 employed
Chef salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $79,930 | $71,630 | $96,180 | 740 | $78,148 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $77,360 | $54,530 | $98,640 | 1,240 | $70,359 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $76,420 | $63,550 | $81,360 | 2,020 | $69,535 |
| 4 | Washington | $76,010 | $58,650 | $81,540 | 5,320 | $71,029 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $74,740 | $48,940 | $78,700 | 100 | $84,016 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $74,280 | $59,860 | $82,200 | 9,100 | $68,269 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $73,170 | $62,100 | $83,700 | 240 | $78,940 |
| 8 | South Carolina | $71,860 | $60,120 | $79,050 | 2,650 | $76,651 |
| 9 | New York | $70,670 | $55,070 | $93,240 | 17,430 | $65,483 |
| 10 | Tennessee | $69,810 | $57,470 | $81,900 | 3,820 | $75,988 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $69,540 | $54,120 | $83,050 | 6,000 | $65,755 |
| 12 | Georgia | $66,230 | $50,220 | $90,350 | 3,680 | $68,780 |
| 13 | Vermont | $65,440 | $56,770 | $77,360 | 610 | $66,804 |
| 14 | Colorado | $65,400 | $58,220 | $79,420 | 3,970 | $63,463 |
| 15 | California | $64,500 | $46,320 | $81,040 | 31,670 | $58,255 |
| 16 | Missouri | $64,480 | $49,550 | $76,520 | 1,750 | $71,000 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $64,310 | $51,160 | $77,800 | 3,080 | $62,069 |
| 18 | U.S. Virgin Islands | $63,960 | $46,800 | $78,000 | 260 | N/A |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $63,860 | $49,280 | $81,790 | 9,170 | $65,449 |
| 20 | Oregon | $63,600 | $53,660 | $77,420 | 2,510 | $61,532 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $63,400 | $52,510 | $76,300 | 1,170 | $60,865 |
| 22 | Virginia | $63,270 | $50,170 | $77,270 | 3,600 | $62,579 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $62,600 | $53,050 | $75,960 | 1,730 | $63,475 |
| 24 | Alabama | $62,400 | $50,900 | $74,130 | 1,000 | $70,252 |
| 25 | Nevada | $62,380 | $49,920 | $78,650 | 3,940 | $62,393 |
| 26 | New Mexico | $62,250 | $48,540 | $83,260 | 770 | $67,507 |
| 27 | Maryland | $61,590 | $45,030 | $78,590 | 3,220 | $58,680 |
| 28 | Delaware | $61,440 | $56,160 | $76,310 | 590 | $61,558 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $61,300 | $49,200 | $74,080 | 1,860 | $65,147 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $61,130 | $48,360 | $76,330 | 4,920 | $64,807 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $61,100 | $47,990 | $82,480 | 350 | $68,270 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $60,510 | $46,020 | $81,660 | 540 | $67,156 |
| 33 | Michigan | $60,070 | $48,970 | $74,090 | 5,360 | $62,432 |
| 34 | Arizona | $59,890 | $38,480 | $74,990 | 4,080 | $59,487 |
| 35 | Utah | $59,060 | $41,750 | $75,830 | 1,740 | $59,739 |
| 36 | Illinois | $58,830 | $50,000 | $73,620 | 8,290 | $58,855 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $58,540 | $37,840 | $67,560 | 1,430 | $66,642 |
| 38 | Kansas | $58,390 | $43,990 | $74,990 | 860 | $64,829 |
| 39 | Florida | $58,240 | $43,680 | $75,840 | 19,670 | $56,317 |
| 40 | Montana | $57,470 | $48,890 | $72,020 | 720 | $60,722 |
| 41 | Maine | $57,010 | $55,070 | $63,060 | 1,250 | $58,743 |
| 42 | Texas | $56,080 | $42,030 | $71,870 | 13,270 | $57,780 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $54,850 | $37,180 | $76,350 | 840 | $63,080 |
| 44 | Ohio | $53,990 | $45,760 | $74,130 | 4,000 | $58,195 |
| 45 | Alaska | $52,190 | $41,390 | $73,120 | 680 | $50,987 |
| 46 | Indiana | $52,190 | $39,110 | $64,990 | 1,940 | $55,920 |
| 47 | Idaho | $52,000 | $42,330 | $66,930 | 550 | $54,454 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $48,470 | $39,650 | $51,870 | 300 | $54,715 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $48,070 | $36,850 | $66,770 | 1,790 | $53,317 |
| 50 | Iowa | $47,990 | $42,620 | $59,380 | 1,640 | $54,682 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $46,170 | $39,430 | $64,970 | 880 | $53,107 |
| 52 | Louisiana | $45,570 | $39,650 | $59,020 | 1,990 | $51,663 |
| 53 | Puerto Rico | $30,800 | $26,580 | $47,840 | 770 | N/A |
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Chefs and Head Cooks, that changes the ranking: Rhode Island leads on raw pay at $79,930, while North Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $84,016.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Chef pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Chefs and Head Cooks the most?
Rhode Island reports the highest median wage for Chefs and Head Cooks at $79,930 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Hawaii ($77,360) and District of Columbia ($76,420).
Which state pays Chefs and Head Cooks the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Chefs and Head Cooks at $30,800 a year, $49,130 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Chefs and Head Cooks earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts North Dakota first at $84,016 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $74,740. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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