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Chef de cuisine salary
Average chef de cuisine salary
$51,926
Understanding Chef de Cuisine Salaries
A Chef de Cuisine plays a pivotal role in managing kitchen operations, menu creation, and staff supervision. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position is $51,926 annually. Salaries can fluctuate significantly based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the type of establishment (fine dining vs. casual dining).
Salary Breakdown by Experience
Entry-level chefs typically start at lower salaries, while those with extensive experience can earn significantly more. For example, chefs with over ten years in the industry often see salaries exceeding $70,000. Understanding these dynamics can help aspiring chefs set realistic career goals.
Regional Salary Variations
Geographic location greatly influences earning potential. States like California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled culinary professionals. Chefs in metropolitan areas generally earn more than those in rural locations.
Career Opportunities
With the right qualifications and experience, chefs can advance to higher-paying roles such as Executive Chef or Culinary Director. Exploring these opportunities can lead to a rewarding culinary career.
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Where can a Chef De Cuisine earn more?
Chef de cuisine salaries by experience level
Chef de cuisine salary estimates from across the web
Average chef de cuisine salary by state
The highest-paying states for chef de cuisines are New Jersey, Hawaii, and New Hampshire. The lowest average chef de cuisine salary states are Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for chef de cuisines
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $62,067 | $29.84 |
| 2 | Georgia | $54,023 | $25.97 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $58,540 | $28.14 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $58,812 | $28.27 |
| 5 | Texas | $52,952 | $25.46 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $70,485 | $33.89 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $57,675 | $27.73 |
| 8 | New York | $58,458 | $28.10 |
| 9 | Alaska | $51,849 | $24.93 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $57,370 | $27.58 |
| 11 | Ohio | $50,529 | $24.29 |
| 12 | Indiana | $48,940 | $23.53 |
| 13 | Michigan | $51,364 | $24.69 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $48,030 | $23.09 |
| 15 | Florida | $48,899 | $23.51 |
| 16 | Hawaii | $63,939 | $30.74 |
| 17 | California | $58,658 | $28.20 |
| 18 | Illinois | $52,416 | $25.20 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $48,178 | $23.16 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $47,267 | $22.72 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $46,182 | $22.20 |
| 22 | Washington | $53,753 | $25.84 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $49,917 | $24.00 |
| 24 | Maine | $51,017 | $24.53 |
| 25 | Alabama | $45,626 | $21.94 |
| 26 | Mississippi | $42,536 | $20.45 |
| 27 | Colorado | $47,182 | $22.68 |
| 28 | Nevada | $42,317 | $20.34 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $42,850 | $20.60 |
| 30 | Delaware | $47,541 | $22.86 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $42,296 | $20.33 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $43,308 | $20.82 |
| 33 | Missouri | $43,501 | $20.91 |
| 34 | Arizona | $40,487 | $19.46 |
| 35 | Virginia | $43,059 | $20.70 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $43,205 | $20.77 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $42,880 | $20.62 |
| 38 | Oregon | $45,340 | $21.80 |
| 39 | Maryland | $45,681 | $21.96 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $42,547 | $20.46 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $41,707 | $20.05 |
| 42 | Montana | $38,699 | $18.61 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $41,238 | $19.83 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $35,640 | $17.13 |
| 45 | Utah | $33,532 | $16.12 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $38,047 | $18.29 |
| 47 | Iowa | $40,308 | $19.38 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $36,046 | $17.33 |
| 49 | Vermont | $40,557 | $19.50 |
| 50 | Idaho | $30,390 | $14.61 |
| 51 | Kansas | $35,761 | $17.19 |
Highest paying cities for chef de cuisines
The highest-paying cities for chef de cuisines are Urban Honolulu, HI, San Francisco, CA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $63,934 | $30.74 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $61,168 | $29.41 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $58,857 | $28.30 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $58,684 | $28.21 |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | $58,086 | $27.93 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | $57,634 | $27.71 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $53,990 | $25.96 |
| 8 | Atlanta, GA | $53,899 | $25.91 |
| 9 | Austin, TX | $53,298 | $25.62 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $52,522 | $25.25 |
| 11 | Detroit, MI | $51,611 | $24.81 |
| 12 | Miami, FL | $50,458 | $24.26 |
| 13 | East Chicago, IN | $49,093 | $23.60 |
| 14 | Charlotte, NC | $47,655 | $22.91 |
| 15 | Boulder, CO | $47,175 | $22.68 |
| 16 | Charleston, SC | $46,179 | $22.20 |
| 17 | Baltimore, MD | $45,925 | $22.08 |
| 18 | Portland, OR | $45,157 | $21.71 |
| 19 | Saint Louis, MO | $43,665 | $20.99 |
| 20 | Richmond, VA | $42,638 | $20.50 |
Chef de cuisine salary details
A chef de cuisine's salary ranges from $36,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $74,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a chef de cuisine's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $74,000 | $6,167 | $36 |
| 75th Percentile | $62,000 | $5,167 | $30 |
| Average | $51,926 | $4,327 | $25 |
| 25th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
| 10th Percentile | $36,000 | $3,000 | $17 |
Highest paying chef de cuisine jobs
The highest paying types of chef de cuisines are executive chef, private chef, and sous chef.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook | $31,803 | $2,650 | $15.29 | 184,818 |
| Pastry Cook | $34,858 | $2,905 | $16.76 | 136,754 |
| Line Cook | $32,895 | $2,741 | $15.81 | 168,993 |
| Banquet Chef | $48,026 | $4,002 | $23.09 | 23,474 |
| Pastry Chef | $44,879 | $3,740 | $21.58 | 18,844 |
| Food Service Coordinator | $32,085 | $2,674 | $15.43 | 79,537 |
Top companies hiring chef de cuisines now:
Which companies pay chef de cuisines the most?
Chef de cuisine salaries at TPC Group and Benchmark Group are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average chef de cuisine salary at companies like Club and ThinkFoodGroup are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TPC Group | $85,498 | $41.10 |
| 2 | Benchmark Group | $71,775 | $34.51 |
| 3 | Club | $70,213 | $33.76 |
| 4 | ThinkFoodGroup | $66,097 | $31.78 |
| 5 | Wheels | $65,913 | $31.69 |
| 6 | Bertucci's | $64,499 | $31.01 |
| 7 | Kisco Senior Living | $63,980 | $30.76 |
| 8 | Goodwin Recruiting | $63,642 | $30.60 |
| 9 | Aspen Snowmass | $63,500 | $30.53 |
| 10 | Neiman Marcus Group | $63,481 | $30.52 |
| 11 | Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants | $61,213 | $29.43 |
| 12 | Lettuce Entertain You | $60,996 | $29.32 |
| 13 | J.F. Shea Co | $60,426 | $29.05 |
| 14 | Masimo | $60,352 | $29.02 |
| 15 | Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts | $60,207 | $28.95 |
| 16 | Hyatt Hotels | $59,833 | $28.77 |
| 17 | HEI Hotels & Resorts | $59,745 | $28.72 |
| 18 | Mexican Restaurants | $59,459 | $28.59 |
| 19 | Wyndham Hotels & Resorts | $58,903 | $28.32 |
| 20 | Rosewood Hotels & Resorts | $58,851 | $28.29 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Chef de cuisine salary trends
The average chef de cuisine salary has risen by $10,729 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average chef de cuisine earned $41,197 annually, but today, they earn $51,926 a year. That works out to a 24% change in pay for chef de cuisines over the last decade.
Compare chef de cuisine salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average chef de cuisine salary over time
Compare chef de cuisine salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Chef de cuisine salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $51,900 | $24.96 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | $50,100 | $24.10 | +6.0% |
| 2023 | $47,100 | $22.66 | +5.2% |
| 2022 | $44,700 | $21.49 | +6.0% |
| 2021 | $42,000 | $20.19 | +3.9% |
Recently added chef de cuisine salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonesta Hotels | Chef de Cuisine-Head Chef | Columbus, OH | 06/30/2025 | $65,000 |
| Aramark Corp | Chef de Cuisine/Chef Manager | Los Angeles, CA | 06/28/2025 | $69,000 |
| Hyatt Hotels Corp | Chef de Cuisine-Ponto Lago | Carlsbad, CA | 06/28/2025 | $76,700 |
| Four Seasons | Chef de Cuisine | San Francisco, CA | 06/28/2025 | $95,000 |
| Penn Entertainment, Inc. | Chef de Cuisine | Bossier City, LA | 06/28/2025 | $55,000 |
| Boon Eat + Drink | Chef de Cuisine | Guerneville, CA | 06/28/2025 | $76,000 |
| L'Auberge Del Mar, a Noble House Resort | Chef de Cuisine @ Luxury 4-Diamond AAA Rated Resort | Del Mar, CA | 06/27/2025 | $79,000 |
| Aspen Snowmass | Chef de Cuisine-Limelight Mammoth | Mammoth Lakes, CA | 06/26/2025 | $75,000 |
| Noble House Hotels and Resorts | Chef de Cuisine @ Luxury 4-Diamond AAA Rated Resort | Del Mar, CA | 06/26/2025 | $79,000 |
| Snoqualmie Casino | Chef de Cuisine | Snoqualmie, WA | 06/26/2025 | $77,837 |
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