Chefs Salary – Cooks & Chefs Salary

Getting the education to become a chef is no easy task so it’s important to know the expected salary one can earn after their professional culinary training. A cook or any other culinary arts professional can get certification that demonstrates to an employer that she or he has achieved a specific level of culinary proficiency. Besides certification, classroom and hand-on instruction, one also needs certain soft skills, or personal qualities, to achieve in this environment. You can find culinary schools near you by browsing our Culinary Schools section.


The salary information for chefs and cooks is typically tied to the following culinary titles:

  • Banquet Chef
  • Certified Executive Chef (CEC)
  • Chef Instructor
  • Corporate Executive Chef
  • Executive Chef (Ex Chef)
  • Executive Sous Chef
  • Head Cook
  • Line Cook

44% of those with the above titles have a culinary degree.

Salary Information for Chefs and Cooks

The median wages in 2013 for the culinary field are:

$20.43 hourly wage
$42,490 annual salary

Employment Statistics for Chefs and Cooks

Employment (2012)
115,000 employees

Projected growth (2012-2022)
3% to 7%

Projected job openings
24,700

Growth Trend
Slower than average across all industries