Chefs & head cooks

Detailed Occupation

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2021 Workforce

456k

Average Age

40.3

Estimated Job Growth

6.32%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$38,375

Average Male Salary

$40,774

Average Female Salary

$30,105

About

Chefs & head cooks are most often employed by the Restaurants & Food Services industry. The average yearly wage for Chefs & head cooks was $38,375 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Chefs & head cooks are Sunset Park & Windsor Terrace PUMA, NY, Flushing, Murray Hill & Whitestone PUMA, NY, and Elmhurst & South Corona PUMA, NY. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Chefs & head cooks are Sunset Park & Windsor Terrace PUMA, NY, Elmhurst & South Corona PUMA, NY, and Flushing, Murray Hill & Whitestone PUMA, NY.

Service Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

Employment and salary information for the Chefs & head cooks workforce. Chefs & head cooks workforce in 2021 was 456,373 people, of which 22.5% were women and 77.5% were men. Chefs & head cooks are paid most in Frisco City (East) & Prosper Town PUMA, TX but are relatively concentrated in Sunset Park & Windsor Terrace PUMA, NY.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

353,754

Male Workforce

± 14.6k

102,619

Female Workforce

± 7.86k

The Chefs & head cooks workforce in 2021 was 456,373 people (22.5% women and 77.5% men). This implies an average annual growth of 24.8% between 2014 (365,628) and 2021 (456,373).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Chefs & head cooks.

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Delaware ($46,885), Maine ($46,845), and Hawaii ($46,391).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$38,375

AVERAGE WAGE

#394 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Chefs & head cooks earned an average of $38,375, $21,221 less than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Chefs & head cooks in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.354

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Chefs & head cooks had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.354, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Chefs & head cooks (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Chefs & head cooks compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Chefs & head cooks and on wages for those in the field. Restaurants & Food Services is the industry that employs the most Chefs & head cooks, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Chefs & head cooks, by average wage, is Computer Systems Design ($85,957).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

456k

2021 Workforce

± 16,560

−0.522%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.15%

This graphic shows the share of Chefs & head cooks employed by various industries. Restaurants & Food Services employs the largest share of Chefs & head cooks at 87.4%, followed by Traveler accommodation with 6.58% and Amusement & Recreation with 6.05%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Chefs & head cooks in the US. The workforce of Chefs & head cooks in 2021 was 456,373 people, with 22.5% woman, and 77.5% men. The average age of male Chefs & head cooks in the workforce is 40.3 and of female Chefs & head cooks is 40.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Chefs & head cooks is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Chefs & head cooks in 2021 was 456,373 people, with 22.5% woman, and 77.5% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (65,345 people), 35 to 39 years (63,593 people), and 25 to 29 years (60,896 people). Among them they concentrated 41.6% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 24.5% of Chefs & head cooks workers were Hispanic and 75.5% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (79.8%), Puerto Rican (12.4)%, and Salvadoran (7.82)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2021, 52.6% of the Chefs & head cooks workforce were White, of which 23.6% were women and 76.4% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (17.2%) and Black (12.6%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Chefs & head cooks from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Chefs & head cooks is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2021 were Personal & Culinary Services.

Among the necessary skills for Chefs & head cooks, Monitoring stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Chefs & head cooks need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Chefs & head cooks in 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (16,418 people), Personal & Culinary Services (8,896 people), and Visual & Performing Arts (3,572 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Chefs & head cooks workers were High School or Equivalent (139,434 people), Some college (104,869 people), and Associates Degree (76,313 people).

The graphic shows the Chefs & head cooks workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Chefs & head cooks from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chefs & head cooks need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Coordination, Speaking.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Chefs and Head Cooks from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Chefs and Head Cooks are expected to see a growth of 6.32% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Chefs and Head Cooks.

6.32%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Chefs & head cooks. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.