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Best states for a culinary internship
Quoted expert
Dave Quisenberry
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for culinary interns? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for culinary internship jobs.In order to help you decide which state is the best for culinary interns, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for culinary internship jobs.
The median salary for culinary interns in Illinois is $36,804. Compare that to the median salary in Georgia of $26,575, which ranked worst for culinary interns, and you can see how your location is important for your career.Illinois is the best state, and Mililani Town is the city with the highest pay for culinary interns.
10 best states for culinary interns in 2026
1. Illinois
Total culinary internship jobs: 546 Average annual salary: $36,804 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
2. Oregon
Total culinary internship jobs: 159 Average annual salary: $38,415 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
3. Minnesota
Total culinary internship jobs: 279 Average annual salary: $36,208 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
4. Nevada
Total culinary internship jobs: 132 Average annual salary: $33,974 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Location Quotient: 1.93
5. California
Total culinary internship jobs: 1,245 Average annual salary: $38,323 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
6. Massachusetts
Total culinary internship jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $39,438 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Location Quotient: 0
7. Idaho
Total culinary internship jobs: 65 Average annual salary: $34,547 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
8. New Jersey
Total culinary internship jobs: 297 Average annual salary: $37,588 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
9. Hawaii
Total culinary internship jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $43,357 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Location Quotient: 0
10. North Dakota
Total culinary internship jobs: 26 Average annual salary: $34,553 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
Culinary internship jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a culinary internship
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a culinary internship
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $36,804 | $29,000 | 12,802,023 | 546 |
| 2 | Oregon | $38,415 | $30,000 | 4,142,776 | 159 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $36,208 | $29,000 | 5,576,606 | 279 |
| 4 | Nevada | $33,974 | $27,000 | 2,998,039 | 132 |
| 5 | California | $38,323 | $30,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,245 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $39,438 | $31,000 | 6,859,819 | 0 |
| 7 | Idaho | $34,547 | $28,000 | 1,716,943 | 65 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $37,588 | $29,000 | 9,005,644 | 297 |
| 9 | Hawaii | $43,357 | $35,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $34,553 | $28,000 | 755,393 | 26 |
| 11 | Alaska | $37,314 | $32,000 | 739,795 | 0 |
| 12 | Missouri | $33,823 | $27,000 | 6,113,532 | 245 |
| 13 | Washington | $36,221 | $29,000 | 7,405,743 | 204 |
| 14 | Texas | $32,101 | $25,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,466 |
| 15 | New York | $34,836 | $27,000 | 19,849,399 | 542 |
| 16 | Colorado | $32,938 | $27,000 | 5,607,154 | 354 |
| 17 | Ohio | $31,171 | $24,000 | 11,658,609 | 521 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $32,079 | $25,000 | 5,795,483 | 174 |
| 19 | Vermont | $32,863 | $26,000 | 623,657 | 22 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $32,248 | $26,000 | 1,342,795 | 55 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $31,910 | $26,000 | 869,666 | 17 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $33,519 | $26,000 | 3,588,184 | 120 |
| 23 | Indiana | $31,864 | $25,000 | 6,666,818 | 0 |
| 24 | Arizona | $32,648 | $26,000 | 7,016,270 | 0 |
| 25 | Michigan | $31,601 | $25,000 | 9,962,311 | 0 |
| 26 | Utah | $30,597 | $24,000 | 3,101,833 | 165 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $36,303 | $28,000 | 693,972 | 24 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $31,298 | $25,000 | 1,059,639 | 46 |
| 29 | South Carolina | $29,805 | $24,000 | 5,024,369 | 239 |
| 30 | Florida | $32,244 | $25,000 | 20,984,400 | 0 |
| 31 | Maine | $31,481 | $25,000 | 1,335,907 | 0 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $29,788 | $24,000 | 2,088,070 | 94 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $30,357 | $24,000 | 1,920,076 | 72 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $28,335 | $23,000 | 3,930,864 | 193 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $30,235 | $24,000 | 579,315 | 12 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $28,314 | $23,000 | 3,004,279 | 113 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $27,430 | $22,000 | 6,715,984 | 387 |
| 38 | Delaware | $31,377 | $24,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 39 | Montana | $29,362 | $24,000 | 1,050,493 | 41 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $27,591 | $22,000 | 10,273,419 | 467 |
| 41 | Virginia | $29,506 | $23,000 | 8,470,020 | 354 |
| 42 | Iowa | $28,937 | $23,000 | 3,145,711 | 0 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | $27,814 | $22,000 | 12,805,537 | 460 |
| 44 | Maryland | $30,504 | $24,000 | 6,052,177 | 0 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $27,628 | $22,000 | 4,454,189 | 0 |
| 46 | Kansas | $27,772 | $22,000 | 2,913,123 | 74 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $25,029 | $20,000 | 1,815,857 | 61 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $24,870 | $20,000 | 2,984,100 | 85 |
| 49 | Alabama | $26,678 | $21,000 | 4,874,747 | 0 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $26,774 | $21,000 | 4,684,333 | 0 |
| 51 | Georgia | $26,575 | $21,000 | 10,429,379 | 0 |
Highest paying states for culinary interns
| Rank | State | Avg. Culinary Internship Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $36,804 |
| 2 | Oregon | $38,415 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $36,208 |
| 4 | Nevada | $33,974 |
| 5 | California | $38,323 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $39,438 |
| 7 | Idaho | $34,547 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $37,588 |
| 9 | Hawaii | $43,357 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $34,553 |
| 11 | Alaska | $37,314 |
| 12 | Missouri | $33,823 |
| 13 | Washington | $36,221 |
| 14 | Texas | $32,101 |
| 15 | New York | $34,836 |
| 16 | Colorado | $32,938 |
| 17 | Ohio | $31,171 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $32,079 |
| 19 | Vermont | $32,863 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $32,248 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $31,910 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $33,519 |
| 23 | Indiana | $31,864 |
| 24 | Arizona | $32,648 |
| 25 | Michigan | $31,601 |
| 26 | Utah | $30,597 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $36,303 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $31,298 |
| 29 | South Carolina | $29,805 |
| 30 | Florida | $32,244 |
| 31 | Maine | $31,481 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $29,788 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $30,357 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $28,335 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $30,235 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $28,314 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $27,430 |
| 38 | Delaware | $31,377 |
| 39 | Montana | $29,362 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $27,591 |
| 41 | Virginia | $29,506 |
| 42 | Iowa | $28,937 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | $27,814 |
| 44 | Maryland | $30,504 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $27,628 |
| 46 | Kansas | $27,772 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $25,029 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $24,870 |
| 49 | Alabama | $26,678 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $26,774 |
| 51 | Georgia | $26,575 |
Expert opinions on the best states for culinary interns
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for culinary internships to find work opportunities?
Dave Quisenberry
Culinary Arts Instructor, Reynolds Community College
While COVID-19 has most of the industry being restricted, one way or another, some sectors have been less affected. Healthcare and Corporate entities have maintained consistent; however, diminished labor needs. Graduates will be forced to consider options such as relocation and redirection of career pathways in the post-pandemic environment. That said, we have seen an unfortunate acceleration of business failures due to the economic impact of COVID-19. The post-pandemic environment will undoubtedly provide opportunities to fill voids in local markets as well as emerging markets, such as home meal replacement, etc. The need for trained professionals will have a much greater demand for emphasis on an understanding of total operational knowledge.
Culinary internship best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025