Culinary chef earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level culinary chef earnings begin at:

$35.73 per hour

$74,330 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level culinary chef earnings begin at:

$29.25 per hour

$60,850 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level culinary chef earnings begin at:

$23.96 per hour

$49,830 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level culinary chef earnings begin at:

$17.83 per hour

$37,080 per year

10th percentile

Starting level culinary chef earnings begin at:

$14.96 per hour

$31,120 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Culinary chef salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Hawaii $74,510
New Jersey $66,790
District of Columbia $63,150
West Virginia $58,570
Delaware $57,340
Washington $56,450
Wyoming $56,150
Massachusetts $56,070
Rhode Island $54,360
Virginia $53,000
Nevada $52,930
New York $52,010
New Hampshire $51,790
Alaska $51,660
Georgia $51,330
Texas $50,580
New Mexico $50,220
Colorado $49,830
Connecticut $49,546
Indiana $49,450
Maryland $49,390
Missouri $49,250
Maine $48,780
Florida $48,710
Minnesota $48,580
Michigan $48,320
Mississippi $47,750
Virgin Islands, U.S. $47,200
North Carolina $47,070
Alabama $47,030
Oregon $46,790
California $46,360
Tennessee $45,890
Louisiana $45,730
North Dakota $45,420
Kentucky $45,082
South Dakota $43,800
Montana $43,030
Vermont $42,770
Oklahoma $42,140
Nebraska $40,970
Wisconsin $40,480
Arkansas $40,300
Ohio $40,270
Illinois $39,758
Iowa $39,604
Kansas $39,457
Idaho $38,590
South Carolina $38,460
Pennsylvania $38,402
Utah $38,180
Arizona $34,489
Puerto Rico $32,380
Guam $23,800

How do culinary chef salaries compare to similar careers?

Culinary chefs earn 21% more than similar careers in Colorado. On average, they make less than registered dietitian nutritionists but more than food batchmakers.

Career Median Salary
Registered dietitian nutritionist salary $60K
Culinary chef salary $50K
Brewmaster salary $42K
Butcher salary $34K
Baker salary $29K
Food batchmaker salary $29K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)