Culinary chef earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level culinary chef earnings begin at:

$30.91 per hour

$64,300 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level culinary chef earnings begin at:

$26.21 per hour

$54,520 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level culinary chef earnings begin at:

$20.56 per hour

$42,770 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level culinary chef earnings begin at:

$16.93 per hour

$35,210 per year

10th percentile

Starting level culinary chef earnings begin at:

$15.07 per hour

$31,350 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 about the same as related careers in Vermont. On average, they make less than restaurant managers but more than food servers.

Career Median Salary
Restaurant manager salary $53K
Registered dietitian nutritionist salary $57K
Culinary chef salary $43K
Brewmaster salary $38K
Bartender salary $36K
Butcher salary $34K
Food server salary $32K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)