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Best states for a head cook
- 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 head cooks? 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 head cook jobs.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 head cook jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for head cooks. Texas is the best state for head cooks, where the median salary is $56,176.If you are currently seeking employment as a head cook, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for head cooks in 2026
1. Texas
Total head cook jobs: 5,199 Average annual salary: $56,176 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 1.42
2. Nevada
Total head cook jobs: 402 Average annual salary: $54,697 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
3. New Jersey
Total head cook jobs: 1,021 Average annual salary: $71,162 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
4. Pennsylvania
Total head cook jobs: 1,987 Average annual salary: $50,487 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
5. Georgia
Total head cook jobs: 1,841 Average annual salary: $49,778 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
6. Rhode Island
Total head cook jobs: 148 Average annual salary: $54,147 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
7. Washington
Total head cook jobs: 806 Average annual salary: $56,621 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 0.61
8. Michigan
Total head cook jobs: 1,352 Average annual salary: $46,328 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
9. Alaska
Total head cook jobs: 114 Average annual salary: $53,319 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
10. Wyoming
Total head cook jobs: 93 Average annual salary: $46,659 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
Head cook jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a head cook
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a head cook
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | $56,176 | $39,000 | 28,304,596 | 5,199 |
| 2 | Nevada | $54,697 | $38,000 | 2,998,039 | 402 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $71,162 | $46,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,021 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $50,487 | $33,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,987 |
| 5 | Georgia | $49,778 | $34,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,841 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $54,147 | $36,000 | 1,059,639 | 148 |
| 7 | Washington | $56,621 | $41,000 | 7,405,743 | 806 |
| 8 | Michigan | $46,328 | $32,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,352 |
| 9 | Alaska | $53,319 | $44,000 | 739,795 | 114 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $46,659 | $33,000 | 579,315 | 93 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $53,346 | $36,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,067 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $59,571 | $48,000 | 1,427,538 | 99 |
| 13 | Maine | $49,170 | $34,000 | 1,335,907 | 166 |
| 14 | Maryland | $51,006 | $34,000 | 6,052,177 | 886 |
| 15 | Missouri | $44,107 | $31,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,400 |
| 16 | Virginia | $49,286 | $32,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,293 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $41,050 | $28,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,671 |
| 18 | Colorado | $45,788 | $32,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,189 |
| 19 | California | $51,256 | $36,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,050 |
| 20 | Arizona | $43,043 | $30,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,309 |
| 21 | Illinois | $44,397 | $31,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,051 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $42,007 | $28,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,977 |
| 23 | Ohio | $40,855 | $28,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,011 |
| 24 | Indiana | $40,923 | $28,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,469 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $46,927 | $31,000 | 1,342,795 | 191 |
| 26 | Alabama | $42,009 | $29,000 | 4,874,747 | 712 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $39,743 | $28,000 | 4,454,189 | 942 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $39,822 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 890 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $41,803 | $29,000 | 2,088,070 | 375 |
| 30 | New York | $46,693 | $30,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,834 |
| 31 | Oregon | $45,210 | $32,000 | 4,142,776 | 508 |
| 32 | Florida | $40,765 | $27,000 | 20,984,400 | 4,063 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $39,231 | $27,000 | 2,984,100 | 605 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $42,701 | $30,000 | 5,576,606 | 974 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $39,651 | $27,000 | 5,024,369 | 984 |
| 36 | Delaware | $43,097 | $28,000 | 961,939 | 151 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $40,558 | $29,000 | 755,393 | 114 |
| 38 | District of Columbia | $47,316 | $31,000 | 693,972 | 86 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $37,601 | $25,000 | 4,684,333 | 872 |
| 40 | Idaho | $39,737 | $28,000 | 1,716,943 | 252 |
| 41 | Connecticut | $41,542 | $27,000 | 3,588,184 | 467 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $35,269 | $25,000 | 3,004,279 | 681 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $37,397 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 251 |
| 44 | Montana | $38,308 | $27,000 | 1,050,493 | 197 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $38,748 | $28,000 | 869,666 | 104 |
| 46 | Kansas | $34,779 | $25,000 | 2,913,123 | 695 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $37,877 | $27,000 | 1,920,076 | 324 |
| 48 | Iowa | $35,955 | $25,000 | 3,145,711 | 618 |
| 49 | Utah | $36,292 | $25,000 | 3,101,833 | 527 |
| 50 | Vermont | $36,409 | $25,000 | 623,657 | 63 |
| 51 | Wisconsin | $32,406 | $23,000 | 5,795,483 | 733 |
Highest paying states for head cooks
| Rank | State | Avg. Head Cook Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | $56,176 |
| 2 | Nevada | $54,697 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $71,162 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $50,487 |
| 5 | Georgia | $49,778 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $54,147 |
| 7 | Washington | $56,621 |
| 8 | Michigan | $46,328 |
| 9 | Alaska | $53,319 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $46,659 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $53,346 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $59,571 |
| 13 | Maine | $49,170 |
| 14 | Maryland | $51,006 |
| 15 | Missouri | $44,107 |
| 16 | Virginia | $49,286 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $41,050 |
| 18 | Colorado | $45,788 |
| 19 | California | $51,256 |
| 20 | Arizona | $43,043 |
| 21 | Illinois | $44,397 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $42,007 |
| 23 | Ohio | $40,855 |
| 24 | Indiana | $40,923 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $46,927 |
| 26 | Alabama | $42,009 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $39,743 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $39,822 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $41,803 |
| 30 | New York | $46,693 |
| 31 | Oregon | $45,210 |
| 32 | Florida | $40,765 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $39,231 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $42,701 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $39,651 |
| 36 | Delaware | $43,097 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $40,558 |
| 38 | District of Columbia | $47,316 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $37,601 |
| 40 | Idaho | $39,737 |
| 41 | Connecticut | $41,542 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $35,269 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $37,397 |
| 44 | Montana | $38,308 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $38,748 |
| 46 | Kansas | $34,779 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $37,877 |
| 48 | Iowa | $35,955 |
| 49 | Utah | $36,292 |
| 50 | Vermont | $36,409 |
| 51 | Wisconsin | $32,406 |
Head cook best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025