Chefs and Head Cooks
Chefs and Head Cooks earn an average annual salary of $73,379, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only. The field combines competitive compensation with strong employment opportunities, making it an attractive career path.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Chefs and Head Cooks workforce.
Employment Over Time
26,500 Workforce in 2023
The Chefs and Head Cooks workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$73,379 Average Wage
In 2023, Chefs and Head Cooks earned an average of $73,379.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Salary distribution for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Employment Growth Projections
5.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
136,981 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 29.7%
177,622 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 68.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 5.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Chefs and Head Cooks and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Chefs and Head Cooks employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 25,390 employees, $73,543 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 7,220 employees, $71,959 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 3,030 employees, $74,724 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,600 employees, $73,759 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 2,350 employees, $79,078 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 2,240 employees, $68,905 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,860 employees, $76,775 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,240 employees, $70,478 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,180 employees, $81,997 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 510 employees, $65,552 avg wage
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA: 450 employees, $70,540 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Diversity
Demographic information on Chefs and Head Cooks in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Chefs and Head Cooks in 2023 was 26,500 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Chefs and Head Cooks in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Chefs and Head Cooks workers.
Education level distribution for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Skills
Chefs and Head Cooks need many skills, but most especially Coordination, Monitoring, Time Management, Speaking, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Chefs and Head Cooks include Food Production, Customer and Personal Service, Production and Processing, Administration and Management, Personnel and Human Resources.
Knowledge areas required for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Chefs and Head Cooks include Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Chefs and Head Cooks.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Chefs and Head Cooks.
Daily Activities
Chefs and Head Cooks spend their time on activities such as Developing and Building Teams, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Coaching and Developing Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Training and Teaching Others.
Most important work activities for Chefs and Head Cooks.
About
Chefs and Head Cooks
The average yearly wage for Chefs and Head Cooks was $73,379 in 2023.
SOC Code
35-1011 - Chefs and Head Cooks
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Chefs and Head Cooks reports an average salary of $73,379.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 26,500 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 5.3%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.