Food Preparation

Chefs & Head Cooks

SOC 35-1011

Run a kitchen: design the menu, manage cooks, control costs, and keep quality consistent.

The job

Median pay

$62k

$48k to $79k typical range

Outlook, 2025 to 2035

Growing fast

+6.6% projected

Openings a year

25k

BLS projection

Typical education

High school plus experience

Our model

AI displacement risk

Moderate

How much of this job AI may do instead of the person

Works with AI

10/100

AI alongside the person rather than instead of them

AI exposure

22nd pct

More exposed than 22% of occupations · modeled estimate · 53rd pct in Microsoft's data

Future-proof

52/100

Take the next step

Weigh it against First-Line Food Prep SupervisorsPay, outlook, entry and AI exposure side by side See where it pays mostRhode Island leads at $80k; every state is below Find careers like itOpen the map at Chefs & Head Cooks and explore its neighbours See open jobsChefs & Head Cooks roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Chefs & Head Cooks, who lean most on monitoring Real pay & reviewsWhat Chefs & Head Cooks say they actually earn

Key skills

Monitoring
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Active Listening
Reading Comprehension
Active Learning

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
California	31,670	1.7	1.4×	$65k
Florida	19,670	2.0	1.5×	$58k
New York	17,430	1.8	1.4×	$71k
Texas	13,270	0.9	0.7×	$56k
Pennsylvania	9,170	1.5	1.2×	$64k
New Jersey	9,100	2.1	1.6×	$74k
Illinois	8,290	1.4	1.1×	$59k
Massachusetts	6,000	1.6	1.3×	$70k
Michigan	5,360	1.2	0.9×	$60k
Washington	5,320	1.5	1.2×	$76k

All 51 states

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
North Carolina	4,920	1.0	0.8×	$61k
Arizona	4,080	1.3	1.0×	$60k
Ohio	4,000	0.7	0.6×	$54k
Colorado	3,970	1.4	1.1×	$65k
Nevada	3,940	2.5	2.0×	$62k
Tennessee	3,820	1.2	0.9×	$70k
Georgia	3,680	0.8	0.6×	$66k
Virginia	3,600	0.9	0.7×	$63k
Maryland	3,220	1.2	0.9×	$62k
Connecticut	3,080	1.8	1.4×	$64k
South Carolina	2,650	1.1	0.9×	$72k
Oregon	2,510	1.3	1.0×	$64k
Washington DC	2,020	2.9	2.2×	$76k
Louisiana	1,990	1.0	0.8×	$46k
Indiana	1,940	0.6	0.5×	$52k
Wisconsin	1,860	0.6	0.5×	$61k
Kentucky	1,790	0.9	0.7×	$48k
Missouri	1,750	0.6	0.5×	$64k
Utah	1,740	1.0	0.8×	$59k
Minnesota	1,730	0.6	0.5×	$63k
Iowa	1,640	1.1	0.8×	$48k
Oklahoma	1,430	0.8	0.7×	$59k
Maine	1,250	2.0	1.5×	$57k
Hawaii	1,240	2.0	1.5×	$77k
New Hampshire	1,170	1.7	1.3×	$63k
Alabama	1,000	0.5	0.4×	$62k
Arkansas	880	0.7	0.5×	$46k
Kansas	860	0.6	0.5×	$58k
Mississippi	840	0.7	0.6×	$55k
New Mexico	770	0.9	0.7×	$62k
Rhode Island	740	1.5	1.1×	$80k
Montana	720	1.4	1.1×	$57k
Alaska	680	2.1	1.6×	$52k
Vermont	610	2.0	1.6×	$65k
Delaware	590	1.2	0.9×	$61k
Idaho	550	0.6	0.5×	$52k
Nebraska	540	0.5	0.4×	$61k
West Virginia	350	0.5	0.4×	$61k
South Dakota	300	0.7	0.5×	$48k
Wyoming	240	0.9	0.7×	$73k
North Dakota	100	0.2	0.2×	$75k

Top metro areas

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ20,010 jobs · $72k median
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA11,430 jobs · $70k median
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL8,210 jobs · $58k median
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN6,840 jobs · $61k median
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD5,700 jobs · $66k median
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA5,340 jobs · $69k median
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV4,680 jobs · $75k median
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH4,430 jobs · $72k median

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.