Careers / Chefs and Head Cooks
Chefs and Head Cooks — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$62,470
United States, 2025
Employment
200,040
United States, 2025
Typical education
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 35-1011.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- Determine how food should be presented and create decorative food displays.
- Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
- Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
- Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
- Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
- Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
- Check the quantity and quality of received products.
- Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$37,900
25th percentile
$48,440
75th percentile
$78,750
90th percentile
$98,560
Most important skills
- Coordination4.1
- Monitoring4.0
- Speaking3.9
- Time Management3.9
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Management of Personnel Resources3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Service Orientation3.8
- Instructing3.6
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Active Listening3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.5
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 24 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
24
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coordination | 4.1 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Monitoring | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Time Management | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Service Orientation | 3.8 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Active Learning | 3.4 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Instructing | 3.6 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Active Listening | 3.6 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.5 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Management of Material Resources | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Management of Financial Resources | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Writing | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Chefs and Head CooksHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terre Haute, IN | $85,920 | 50 | 2025 |
| Kahului, HI | $84,990 | 250 | 2025 |
| Albany, NY | $84,430 | 470 | 2025 |
| Morgantown, WV | $81,330 | 70 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $80,330 | 3,740 | 2025 |
| RI | $79,930 | 740 | 2025 |
| Providence, RI | $79,340 | 1,070 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $79,020 | 1,280 | 2025 |
| Napa, CA | $78,960 | 300 | 2025 |
| HI | $77,360 | 1,240 | 2025 |
| DC | $76,420 | 2,020 | 2025 |
| WA | $76,010 | 5,320 | 2025 |
| Atlantic City, NJ | $75,740 | 900 | 2025 |
| Vineland, NJ | $75,050 | 100 | 2025 |
| Bremerton, WA | $74,940 | 140 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $74,900 | 4,680 | 2025 |
| ND | $74,740 | 100 | 2025 |
| Kingston, NY | $74,710 | 140 | 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | $74,660 | 2,370 | 2025 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $74,380 | 740 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Chefs and Head Cooks to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.