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Best states for a head chef
Quoted expert
Dave Quisenberry
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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for head chefs in the United States. Head chef positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for head chefs.As head chefs are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for head chefs. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a head chef, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for head chefs. Rhode Island is the best state for head chefs, where the median salary is $55,352.We found that Rhode Island is the best state for head chef jobs, whereas Idaho is the worst.
10 best states for head chefs in 2025
1. Rhode Island
Total head chef jobs: 50 Average annual salary: $55,352 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 1.482. Nevada
Total head chef jobs: 76 Average annual salary: $54,225 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.313. Massachusetts
Total head chef jobs: 325 Average annual salary: $56,283 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 1.284. New Jersey
Total head chef jobs: 181 Average annual salary: $68,904 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 0.825. New York
Total head chef jobs: 587 Average annual salary: $52,343 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.656. Alaska
Total head chef jobs: 56 Average annual salary: $50,198 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Location Quotient: 2.427. Texas
Total head chef jobs: 658 Average annual salary: $49,525 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 1.178. New Hampshire
Total head chef jobs: 73 Average annual salary: $47,060 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 1.519. District of Columbia
Total head chef jobs: 70 Average annual salary: $53,280 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.510. Hawaii
Total head chef jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $69,678 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 0.69
Head chef jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a head chef
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a head chef
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $55,352 | $34,000 | 1,059,639 | 50 |
| 2 | Nevada | $54,225 | $34,000 | 2,998,039 | 76 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $56,283 | $34,000 | 6,859,819 | 325 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $68,904 | $42,000 | 9,005,644 | 181 |
| 5 | New York | $52,343 | $32,000 | 19,849,399 | 587 |
| 6 | Alaska | $50,198 | $39,000 | 739,795 | 56 |
| 7 | Texas | $49,525 | $31,000 | 28,304,596 | 658 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $47,060 | $29,000 | 1,342,795 | 73 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $53,280 | $33,000 | 693,972 | 70 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $69,678 | $54,000 | 1,427,538 | 16 |
| 11 | Washington | $52,995 | $35,000 | 7,405,743 | 184 |
| 12 | California | $53,633 | $33,000 | 39,536,653 | 796 |
| 13 | Illinois | $51,230 | $34,000 | 12,802,023 | 258 |
| 14 | Michigan | $47,146 | $31,000 | 9,962,311 | 183 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $46,760 | $28,000 | 12,805,537 | 300 |
| 16 | Maine | $45,538 | $28,000 | 1,335,907 | 37 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $43,049 | $30,000 | 579,315 | 20 |
| 18 | Indiana | $44,480 | $30,000 | 6,666,818 | 152 |
| 19 | Florida | $44,178 | $27,000 | 20,984,400 | 506 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $42,447 | $27,000 | 10,273,419 | 279 |
| 21 | Delaware | $44,833 | $27,000 | 961,939 | 34 |
| 22 | Virginia | $44,945 | $28,000 | 8,470,020 | 262 |
| 23 | Oregon | $45,122 | $29,000 | 4,142,776 | 97 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $43,850 | $30,000 | 5,576,606 | 149 |
| 25 | Ohio | $42,126 | $27,000 | 11,658,609 | 226 |
| 26 | Maryland | $47,538 | $29,000 | 6,052,177 | 140 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $42,728 | $26,000 | 3,588,184 | 115 |
| 28 | Colorado | $40,891 | $28,000 | 5,607,154 | 207 |
| 29 | Alabama | $41,651 | $27,000 | 4,874,747 | 63 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $39,202 | $25,000 | 2,984,100 | 61 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $39,727 | $26,000 | 4,454,189 | 73 |
| 32 | Georgia | $39,524 | $25,000 | 10,429,379 | 295 |
| 33 | Arizona | $38,253 | $24,000 | 7,016,270 | 218 |
| 34 | Missouri | $39,371 | $26,000 | 6,113,532 | 137 |
| 35 | Montana | $35,154 | $24,000 | 1,050,493 | 58 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $39,922 | $26,000 | 2,088,070 | 31 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $39,323 | $27,000 | 755,393 | 15 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $38,718 | $26,000 | 3,930,864 | 55 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $38,630 | $26,000 | 869,666 | 15 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $32,291 | $21,000 | 6,715,984 | 225 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $37,950 | $24,000 | 1,815,857 | 15 |
| 42 | Iowa | $36,593 | $25,000 | 3,145,711 | 71 |
| 43 | Utah | $31,743 | $21,000 | 3,101,833 | 121 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $37,594 | $24,000 | 4,684,333 | 56 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $32,267 | $20,000 | 5,024,369 | 136 |
| 46 | Vermont | $36,628 | $22,000 | 623,657 | 14 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $37,122 | $25,000 | 1,920,076 | 26 |
| 48 | Wisconsin | $36,608 | $24,000 | 5,795,483 | 94 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $34,736 | $23,000 | 3,004,279 | 27 |
| 50 | Kansas | $32,304 | $22,000 | 2,913,123 | 41 |
| 51 | Idaho | $27,807 | $18,000 | 1,716,943 | 31 |
Highest paying states for head chefs
| Rank | State | Avg. Head Chef Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $55,352 |
| 2 | Nevada | $54,225 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $56,283 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $68,904 |
| 5 | New York | $52,343 |
| 6 | Alaska | $50,198 |
| 7 | Texas | $49,525 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $47,060 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $53,280 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $69,678 |
| 11 | Washington | $52,995 |
| 12 | California | $53,633 |
| 13 | Illinois | $51,230 |
| 14 | Michigan | $47,146 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $46,760 |
| 16 | Maine | $45,538 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $43,049 |
| 18 | Indiana | $44,480 |
| 19 | Florida | $44,178 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $42,447 |
| 21 | Delaware | $44,833 |
| 22 | Virginia | $44,945 |
| 23 | Oregon | $45,122 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $43,850 |
| 25 | Ohio | $42,126 |
| 26 | Maryland | $47,538 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $42,728 |
| 28 | Colorado | $40,891 |
| 29 | Alabama | $41,651 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $39,202 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $39,727 |
| 32 | Georgia | $39,524 |
| 33 | Arizona | $38,253 |
| 34 | Missouri | $39,371 |
| 35 | Montana | $35,154 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $39,922 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $39,323 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $38,718 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $38,630 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $32,291 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $37,950 |
| 42 | Iowa | $36,593 |
| 43 | Utah | $31,743 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $37,594 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $32,267 |
| 46 | Vermont | $36,628 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $37,122 |
| 48 | Wisconsin | $36,608 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $34,736 |
| 50 | Kansas | $32,304 |
| 51 | Idaho | $27,807 |
Expert opinions on the best states for head chefs
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for head chefs 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.
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Updated January 8, 2025