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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

35-1011 Chefs and Head Cooks

Direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
128,190 2.7 % $27.07 $56,310 1.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $13.64 $17.97 $24.78 $32.93 $41.82
Annual Wage (2) $28,370 $37,380 $51,530 $68,500 $86,990


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 66,790 0.62 $25.75 $53,570
Special Food Services 15,520 2.11 $28.87 $60,050
Traveler Accommodation 15,070 0.73 $30.28 $62,980
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 6,610 0.49 $30.48 $63,390
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 2,930 0.31 $24.93 $51,850

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Special Food Services 15,520 2.11 $28.87 $60,050
Rooming and Boarding Houses 100 0.89 $22.18 $46,120
Traveler Accommodation 15,070 0.73 $30.28 $62,980
Restaurants and Other Eating Places 66,790 0.62 $25.75 $53,570
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water 80 0.50 $32.82 $68,270

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Office Administrative Services (8) (8) $35.06 $72,930
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 1,460 0.07 $34.20 $71,130
Insurance Carriers 60 (7) $33.64 $69,970
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water 80 0.50 $32.82 $68,270
Motion Picture and Video Industries 200 0.05 $32.37 $67,320


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 21,370 1.23 1.41 $29.35 $61,040
New York 17,950 1.89 2.16 $28.55 $59,380
Florida 12,040 1.37 1.57 $25.49 $53,030
Texas 5,350 0.43 0.49 $27.34 $56,880
Massachusetts 4,280 1.18 1.36 $30.38 $63,190




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Vermont 950 3.11 3.57 $22.14 $46,040
Nevada 3,350 2.41 2.76 $27.33 $56,850
New York 17,950 1.89 2.16 $28.55 $59,380
District of Columbia 1,220 1.68 1.93 $31.67 $65,870
Hawaii 940 1.48 1.69 $37.81 $78,640




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii 940 1.48 1.69 $37.81 $78,640
New Jersey 2,960 0.72 0.83 $36.57 $76,060
Rhode Island 300 0.63 0.72 $34.25 $71,230
District of Columbia 1,220 1.68 1.93 $31.67 $65,870
Massachusetts 4,280 1.18 1.36 $30.38 $63,190





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 17,040 1.77 2.02 $30.37 $63,180
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 8,350 1.34 1.53 $25.13 $52,280
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 4,620 1.87 2.14 $30.64 $63,740
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 3,400 0.73 0.83 $27.69 $57,600
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 3,240 1.16 1.33 $30.93 $64,340
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 3,130 0.98 1.13 $29.93 $62,260
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 3,090 1.17 1.34 $27.41 $57,020
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 2,840 2.79 3.19 $27.69 $57,600
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 2,570 1.99 2.28 $24.49 $50,940
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,770 0.61 0.70 $30.74 $63,950




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Napa, CA 220 2.85 3.26 $32.71 $68,040
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL 430 2.84 3.25 $30.95 $64,380
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 2,840 2.79 3.19 $27.69 $57,600
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 750 2.76 3.17 $35.81 $74,470
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI 210 2.74 3.14 $40.50 $84,240
The Villages, FL 80 2.60 2.98 $26.41 $54,930
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC 200 2.56 2.93 $26.33 $54,760
Kingston, NY 150 2.51 2.88 $23.90 $49,710
Charleston-North Charleston, SC 900 2.49 2.85 $19.78 $41,140
Glens Falls, NY 130 2.42 2.77 $23.78 $49,460




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Urban Honolulu, HI 450 0.99 1.13 $44.12 $91,770
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI 210 2.74 3.14 $40.50 $84,240
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,060 0.92 1.06 $40.14 $83,490
Stockton-Lodi, CA (8) (8) (8) $36.39 $75,680
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 750 2.76 3.17 $35.81 $74,470
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 100 1.96 2.24 $35.38 $73,590
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 520 1.24 1.43 $35.07 $72,950
Ocean City, NJ 90 2.18 2.50 $35.02 $72,850
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA (8) (8) (8) $33.94 $70,600
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 40 0.24 0.28 $33.41 $69,500

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 400 3.29 3.77 $27.73 $57,670
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 280 2.75 3.15 $25.59 $53,230
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 260 1.25 1.44 $22.16 $46,080
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 260 3.68 4.22 $23.35 $48,580
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 240 3.89 4.45 $35.04 $72,880

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 240 3.89 4.45 $35.04 $72,880
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 260 3.68 4.22 $23.35 $48,580
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 400 3.29 3.77 $27.73 $57,670
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 280 2.75 3.15 $25.59 $53,230
Northern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 100 2.62 3.00 $28.54 $59,370

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 90 0.92 1.05 $38.54 $80,170
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 240 3.89 4.45 $35.04 $72,880
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 40 0.37 0.42 $32.73 $68,080
Northern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 50 0.33 0.38 $32.41 $67,410
Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 100 0.91 1.04 $32.31 $67,210


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020