Best states for a cooking chef

Q: What is the best state for cooking chefs?

The best state to be a cooking chef is Nevada based on cooking chef salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for cooking chefs?

The highest paying state for cooking chefs is Idaho based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for cooking chefs?

The worst state for cooking chefs is Vermont, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for cooking chefs? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for cooking chef jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.As cooking chefs are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for cooking chefs. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a cooking chef, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

The median salary for cooking chefs in Nevada is $42,396. Compare that to the median salary in Vermont of $29,446, which ranked worst for cooking chefs, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that Nevada is the best state for cooking chef jobs, whereas Vermont is the worst.

10 best states for cooking chefs in 2025

1. Nevada
Total cooking chef jobs: 355
Average annual salary: $42,396
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Cooking chef jobs in Nevada
2. Alaska
Total cooking chef jobs: 138
Average annual salary: $44,396
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Cooking chef jobs in Alaska
3. Michigan
Total cooking chef jobs: 1,287
Average annual salary: $40,291
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Cooking chef jobs in Michigan
4. Ohio
Total cooking chef jobs: 1,879
Average annual salary: $37,589
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Cooking chef jobs in Ohio
5. Pennsylvania
Total cooking chef jobs: 1,806
Average annual salary: $40,560
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Cooking chef jobs in Pennsylvania
6. New Jersey
Total cooking chef jobs: 911
Average annual salary: $47,225
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Location Quotient:
0.76
Cooking chef jobs in New Jersey
7. New Hampshire
Total cooking chef jobs: 183
Average annual salary: $44,875
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000
Location Quotient:
0.69
Cooking chef jobs in New Hampshire
8. California
Total cooking chef jobs: 3,610
Average annual salary: $45,776
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $65,000
Location Quotient:
0.82
Cooking chef jobs in California
9. Texas
Total cooking chef jobs: 4,221
Average annual salary: $36,579
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Location Quotient:
1.38
Cooking chef jobs in Texas
10. Illinois
Total cooking chef jobs: 1,936
Average annual salary: $39,055
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Cooking chef jobs in Illinois

Cooking chef jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a cooking chef

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

Detailed list of the best states for a cooking chef

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Nevada	$42,396	$30,000	2,998,039	355
2	Alaska	$44,396	$38,000	739,795	138
3	Michigan	$40,291	$28,000	9,962,311	1,287
4	Ohio	$37,589	$26,000	11,658,609	1,879
5	Pennsylvania	$40,560	$26,000	12,805,537	1,806
6	New Jersey	$47,225	$30,000	9,005,644	911
7	New Hampshire	$44,875	$29,000	1,342,795	183
8	California	$45,776	$32,000	39,536,653	3,610
9	Texas	$36,579	$25,000	28,304,596	4,221
10	Illinois	$39,055	$28,000	12,802,023	1,936
11	Mississippi	$35,185	$25,000	2,984,100	405
12	Oregon	$43,269	$31,000	4,142,776	434
13	Minnesota	$38,982	$29,000	5,576,606	835
14	Massachusetts	$43,471	$28,000	6,859,819	915
15	Wyoming	$38,249	$28,000	579,315	75
16	Hawaii	$47,164	$38,000	1,427,538	97
17	Rhode Island	$42,284	$27,000	1,059,639	103
18	Washington	$41,177	$30,000	7,405,743	737
19	Colorado	$36,553	$27,000	5,607,154	1,003
20	District of Columbia	$43,824	$29,000	693,972	121
21	North Dakota	$35,810	$27,000	755,393	113
22	New York	$39,125	$25,000	19,849,399	1,549
23	Connecticut	$38,861	$25,000	3,588,184	378
24	Indiana	$33,781	$24,000	6,666,818	1,070
25	Wisconsin	$34,919	$25,000	5,795,483	700
26	Georgia	$33,732	$23,000	10,429,379	1,744
27	Arizona	$32,548	$23,000	7,016,270	1,139
28	Maine	$36,169	$24,000	1,335,907	127
29	Florida	$31,916	$22,000	20,984,400	3,548
30	Oklahoma	$31,669	$23,000	3,930,864	577
31	Missouri	$33,005	$24,000	6,113,532	848
32	Kentucky	$31,370	$22,000	4,454,189	604
33	West Virginia	$30,246	$21,000	1,815,857	259
34	South Dakota	$34,091	$25,000	869,666	100
35	Alabama	$32,915	$23,000	4,874,747	485
36	North Carolina	$31,025	$21,000	10,273,419	1,530
37	New Mexico	$32,123	$23,000	2,088,070	243
38	Iowa	$31,273	$23,000	3,145,711	479
39	Maryland	$33,038	$22,000	6,052,177	824
40	Montana	$31,920	$24,000	1,050,493	147
41	Tennessee	$26,977	$19,000	6,715,984	1,123
42	Delaware	$33,589	$22,000	961,939	118
43	Nebraska	$32,107	$24,000	1,920,076	211
44	South Carolina	$29,821	$21,000	5,024,369	683
45	Virginia	$31,017	$20,000	8,470,020	1,312
46	Arkansas	$28,250	$20,000	3,004,279	375
47	Louisiana	$25,722	$18,000	4,684,333	557
48	Utah	$25,970	$19,000	3,101,833	519
49	Kansas	$27,395	$20,000	2,913,123	362
50	Idaho	$23,958	$17,000	1,716,943	229
51	Vermont	$29,446	$19,000	623,657	61

Highest paying states for cooking chefs

Rank	State	Avg. Cooking Chef Salary
1	Nevada	$42,396
2	Alaska	$44,396
3	Michigan	$40,291
4	Ohio	$37,589
5	Pennsylvania	$40,560
6	New Jersey	$47,225
7	New Hampshire	$44,875
8	California	$45,776
9	Texas	$36,579
10	Illinois	$39,055
11	Mississippi	$35,185
12	Oregon	$43,269
13	Minnesota	$38,982
14	Massachusetts	$43,471
15	Wyoming	$38,249
16	Hawaii	$47,164
17	Rhode Island	$42,284
18	Washington	$41,177
19	Colorado	$36,553
20	District of Columbia	$43,824
21	North Dakota	$35,810
22	New York	$39,125
23	Connecticut	$38,861
24	Indiana	$33,781
25	Wisconsin	$34,919
26	Georgia	$33,732
27	Arizona	$32,548
28	Maine	$36,169
29	Florida	$31,916
30	Oklahoma	$31,669
31	Missouri	$33,005
32	Kentucky	$31,370
33	West Virginia	$30,246
34	South Dakota	$34,091
35	Alabama	$32,915
36	North Carolina	$31,025
37	New Mexico	$32,123
38	Iowa	$31,273
39	Maryland	$33,038
40	Montana	$31,920
41	Tennessee	$26,977
42	Delaware	$33,589
43	Nebraska	$32,107
44	South Carolina	$29,821
45	Virginia	$31,017
46	Arkansas	$28,250
47	Louisiana	$25,722
48	Utah	$25,970
49	Kansas	$27,395
50	Idaho	$23,958
51	Vermont	$29,446

Cooking chef best states FAQs

What is the best state for cooking chefs?

What is the highest paying state for cooking chefs?

What is the worst state for cooking chefs?

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

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Best states for Cooking Chefs

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total cooking chef jobs:	355
Average annual salary:	$42,396
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$30,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$59,000
Location Quotient:	1.13

Best states for a cooking chef

10 best states for cooking chefs in 2025

1. Nevada

2. Alaska

3. Michigan

4. Ohio

5. Pennsylvania

6. New Jersey

7. New Hampshire

8. California

9. Texas

10. Illinois