Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2004

35-1011 Chefs and Head Cooks

Direct 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. May participate in cooking.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
116,930 2.1 % $16.42 $34,160 0.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.28 $10.71 $14.75 $20.28 $26.75
Annual Wage (2) $17,220 $22,270 $30,680 $42,180 $55,640

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Full-service restaurants 61,770 $15.29 $31,800
Traveler accommodation 12,630 $19.89 $41,370
Limited-service eating places 10,840 $13.59 $28,270
Special food services 10,810 $16.24 $33,780
Other amusement and recreation industries 7,000 $21.85 $45,440

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Management and technical consulting services 30 $28.46 $59,200
Federal government (OES designation) 1,300 $26.17 $54,430
Management of companies and enterprises 270 $25.37 $52,770
Beverage manufacturing 60 $23.49 $48,860
Office administrative services 180 $23.06 $47,960

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Hawaii 1,340 $19.83 $41,240 0.237%
Nevada 2,460 $18.96 $39,430 0.220%
Idaho 1,240 $10.87 $22,600 0.216%
Connecticut 3,330 $19.11 $39,740 0.204%
New Hampshire 1,160 $16.81 $34,960 0.189%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 870 $22.60 $47,000 0.144%
New Jersey 2,420 $22.32 $46,420 0.062%
New York 6,530 $20.87 $43,400 0.079%
Washington 1,580 $20.13 $41,870 0.061%
Hawaii 1,340 $19.83 $41,240 0.237%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Boise City, ID MSA 790 $10.54 $21,930 0.339%
Springfield, MA MSA 810 $13.39 $27,860 0.321%
Danbury, CT PMSA 270 $17.49 $36,370 0.296%
New Orleans, LA MSA 1,720 $14.93 $31,060 0.283%
Naples, FL MSA 310 $24.20 $50,330 0.264%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA 270 $28.20 $58,650 0.135%
Monmouth-Ocean, NJ PMSA 240 $26.23 $54,560 0.060%
Newark, NJ PMSA 590 $24.56 $51,090 0.061%
Nassau-Suffolk, NY PMSA 770 $24.45 $50,850 0.064%
Salinas, CA MSA 110 $24.37 $50,700 0.071%

About May 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. 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 mean 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.

All Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

May 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: June 02, 2005