Best states for a chef/kitchen manager

Q: What is the best state for chef/kitchen managers?

The best state to be a chef/kitchen manager is New York based on chef/kitchen manager salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for chef/kitchen managers?

The highest paying state for chef/kitchen managers is Alabama based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for chef/kitchen managers?

The worst state for chef/kitchen managers is Louisiana, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and food preparation and restaurant careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to chef/kitchen manager jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for chef/kitchen managers.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for chef/kitchen manager jobs.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for chef/kitchen managers. New York is the best state for chef/kitchen managers, where the median salary is $72,926.We found that New York is the best state for chef/kitchen manager jobs, whereas Louisiana is the worst.

10 best states for chef/kitchen managers in 2026

1. New York
Total chef/kitchen manager jobs: 1,104
Average annual salary: $72,926
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Chef/kitchen manager jobs in New York
2. Connecticut
Total chef/kitchen manager jobs: 261
Average annual salary: $63,391
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Chef/kitchen manager jobs in Connecticut
3. Massachusetts
Total chef/kitchen manager jobs: 667
Average annual salary: $62,344
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000
Location Quotient:
0.97
Chef/kitchen manager jobs in Massachusetts
4. Washington
Total chef/kitchen manager jobs: 561
Average annual salary: $59,275
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Chef/kitchen manager jobs in Washington
5. Virginia
Total chef/kitchen manager jobs: 725
Average annual salary: $58,607
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Chef/kitchen manager jobs in Virginia
6. Pennsylvania
Total chef/kitchen manager jobs: 956
Average annual salary: $53,095
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Chef/kitchen manager jobs in Pennsylvania
7. Rhode Island
Total chef/kitchen manager jobs: 61
Average annual salary: $63,379
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000
Location Quotient:
0.67
Chef/kitchen manager jobs in Rhode Island
8. Delaware
Total chef/kitchen manager jobs: 86
Average annual salary: $58,577
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Chef/kitchen manager jobs in Delaware
9. Michigan
Total chef/kitchen manager jobs: 647
Average annual salary: $52,126
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
Chef/kitchen manager jobs in Michigan
10. California
Total chef/kitchen manager jobs: 2,215
Average annual salary: $60,371
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Chef/kitchen manager jobs in California

Chef/kitchen manager jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a chef/kitchen manager

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a chef/kitchen manager

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$72,926	$49,000	19,849,399	1,104
2	Connecticut	$63,391	$43,000	3,588,184	261
3	Massachusetts	$62,344	$43,000	6,859,819	667
4	Washington	$59,275	$41,000	7,405,743	561
5	Virginia	$58,607	$39,000	8,470,020	725
6	Pennsylvania	$53,095	$36,000	12,805,537	956
7	Rhode Island	$63,379	$43,000	1,059,639	61
8	Delaware	$58,577	$39,000	961,939	86
9	Michigan	$52,126	$36,000	9,962,311	647
10	California	$60,371	$40,000	39,536,653	2,215
11	New Jersey	$57,541	$39,000	9,005,644	581
12	Alaska	$52,050	$43,000	739,795	110
13	Nevada	$50,974	$34,000	2,998,039	191
14	New Hampshire	$53,992	$37,000	1,342,795	122
15	District of Columbia	$55,371	$37,000	693,972	158
16	Wyoming	$52,014	$37,000	579,315	40
17	Maryland	$53,508	$36,000	6,052,177	508
18	Minnesota	$53,499	$38,000	5,576,606	409
19	Montana	$48,797	$35,000	1,050,493	96
20	Maine	$52,097	$36,000	1,335,907	73
21	Colorado	$50,323	$36,000	5,607,154	476
22	Vermont	$54,143	$38,000	623,657	29
23	Ohio	$46,457	$32,000	11,658,609	757
24	North Dakota	$49,693	$36,000	755,393	39
25	North Carolina	$46,422	$32,000	10,273,419	685
26	Texas	$43,558	$30,000	28,304,596	1,761
27	Oregon	$50,939	$35,000	4,142,776	207
28	Hawaii	$52,420	$41,000	1,427,538	47
29	Arizona	$43,476	$30,000	7,016,270	587
30	Nebraska	$46,126	$33,000	1,920,076	123
31	Indiana	$44,489	$31,000	6,666,818	469
32	Utah	$43,966	$30,000	3,101,833	255
33	Illinois	$45,006	$32,000	12,802,023	926
34	Florida	$43,456	$29,000	20,984,400	1,432
35	Idaho	$46,944	$32,000	1,716,943	89
36	South Dakota	$46,704	$34,000	869,666	23
37	Tennessee	$43,268	$31,000	6,715,984	401
38	West Virginia	$44,313	$31,000	1,815,857	75
39	Iowa	$44,907	$32,000	3,145,711	189
40	Georgia	$40,880	$28,000	10,429,379	872
41	Wisconsin	$42,037	$30,000	5,795,483	354
42	Kentucky	$42,241	$30,000	4,454,189	201
43	Kansas	$42,460	$31,000	2,913,123	150
44	Missouri	$41,345	$30,000	6,113,532	408
45	South Carolina	$39,092	$27,000	5,024,369	363
46	Mississippi	$40,029	$28,000	2,984,100	120
47	Oklahoma	$41,712	$30,000	3,930,864	146
48	Arkansas	$38,726	$28,000	3,004,279	161
49	New Mexico	$39,761	$28,000	2,088,070	94
50	Alabama	$38,376	$27,000	4,874,747	220
51	Louisiana	$38,626	$26,000	4,684,333	166

Highest paying states for chef/kitchen managers

Rank	State	Avg. Chef/Kitchen Manager Salary
1	New York	$72,926
2	Connecticut	$63,391
3	Massachusetts	$62,344
4	Washington	$59,275
5	Virginia	$58,607
6	Pennsylvania	$53,095
7	Rhode Island	$63,379
8	Delaware	$58,577
9	Michigan	$52,126
10	California	$60,371
11	New Jersey	$57,541
12	Alaska	$52,050
13	Nevada	$50,974
14	New Hampshire	$53,992
15	District of Columbia	$55,371
16	Wyoming	$52,014
17	Maryland	$53,508
18	Minnesota	$53,499
19	Montana	$48,797
20	Maine	$52,097
21	Colorado	$50,323
22	Vermont	$54,143
23	Ohio	$46,457
24	North Dakota	$49,693
25	North Carolina	$46,422
26	Texas	$43,558
27	Oregon	$50,939
28	Hawaii	$52,420
29	Arizona	$43,476
30	Nebraska	$46,126
31	Indiana	$44,489
32	Utah	$43,966
33	Illinois	$45,006
34	Florida	$43,456
35	Idaho	$46,944
36	South Dakota	$46,704
37	Tennessee	$43,268
38	West Virginia	$44,313
39	Iowa	$44,907
40	Georgia	$40,880
41	Wisconsin	$42,037
42	Kentucky	$42,241
43	Kansas	$42,460
44	Missouri	$41,345
45	South Carolina	$39,092
46	Mississippi	$40,029
47	Oklahoma	$41,712
48	Arkansas	$38,726
49	New Mexico	$39,761
50	Alabama	$38,376
51	Louisiana	$38,626

Chef/kitchen manager best states FAQs

What is the best state for chef/kitchen managers?

What is the highest paying state for chef/kitchen managers?

What is the worst state for chef/kitchen managers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common food preparation and restaurant questions.

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Best states for Chef/Kitchen Managers

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs

Total chef/kitchen manager jobs:	1,104
Average annual salary:	$72,926
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$49,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$106,000
Location Quotient:	1.15

Best states for a chef/kitchen manager

10 best states for chef/kitchen managers in 2026

1. New York

2. Connecticut

3. Massachusetts

4. Washington

5. Virginia

6. Pennsylvania

7. Rhode Island

8. Delaware

9. Michigan

10. California