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Executive Chef salary
Average executive chef salary
$59,416
How much does an executive chef make?
The average executive chef salary in the United States is $59,416. Executive chef salaries typically range between $40,000 and $87,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for executive chefs is $28.57 per hour.
Executive chef salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Executive chefs earn the highest average salary in Hawaii.
Where can an Executive Chef earn more?
Executive Chef salary estimates from across the web
Average executive chef salary by state
The average executive chef salary in Hawaii, California, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average executive chef salary states are Idaho, Montana, and Alaska.
- State View
- County View
Highest paying states for executive chefs
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $69,572 | $33.45 |
| 2 | Nevada | $68,037 | $32.71 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $71,960 | $34.60 |
| 4 | Delaware | $68,673 | $33.02 |
| 5 | Vermont | $66,440 | $31.94 |
| 6 | Washington | $66,492 | $31.97 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $68,299 | $32.84 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $79,287 | $38.12 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $63,137 | $30.35 |
| 10 | Illinois | $61,401 | $29.52 |
| 11 | Texas | $58,441 | $28.10 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $58,094 | $27.93 |
| 13 | California | $72,275 | $34.75 |
| 14 | Virginia | $60,188 | $28.94 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $60,679 | $29.17 |
| 16 | Maryland | $64,324 | $30.93 |
| 17 | Maine | $60,280 | $28.98 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $59,316 | $28.52 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $58,356 | $28.06 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $69,287 | $33.31 |
| 21 | Missouri | $56,537 | $27.18 |
| 22 | Michigan | $57,838 | $27.81 |
| 23 | Florida | $56,026 | $26.94 |
| 24 | Georgia | $54,989 | $26.44 |
| 25 | Arizona | $52,572 | $25.27 |
| 26 | Colorado | $53,198 | $25.58 |
| 27 | Oregon | $59,619 | $28.66 |
| 28 | Kansas | $55,139 | $26.51 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $52,267 | $25.13 |
| 30 | New York | $60,858 | $29.26 |
| 31 | Ohio | $53,074 | $25.52 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $55,308 | $26.59 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $55,685 | $26.77 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $52,267 | $25.13 |
| 35 | Indiana | $52,937 | $25.45 |
| 36 | Alabama | $50,713 | $24.38 |
| 37 | Connecticut | $49,290 | $23.70 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $50,401 | $24.23 |
| 39 | Utah | $44,533 | $21.41 |
| 40 | Alaska | $44,759 | $21.52 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $49,532 | $23.81 |
| 42 | Montana | $44,783 | $21.53 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $48,017 | $23.09 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $46,609 | $22.41 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $50,526 | $24.29 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $48,321 | $23.23 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $33,638 | $16.17 |
| 48 | Idaho | $45,142 | $21.70 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $47,035 | $22.61 |
| 50 | Iowa | $45,389 | $21.82 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $42,881 | $20.62 |
Highest paying cities for executive chefs
The highest-paying cities for executive chefs are San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $75,757 | $36.42 |
| 2 | Boston, MA | $69,553 | $33.44 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $69,347 | $33.34 |
| 4 | Las Vegas, NV | $67,885 | $32.64 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $66,827 | $32.13 |
| 6 | Baltimore, MD | $64,584 | $31.05 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $63,722 | $30.64 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $61,621 | $29.63 |
| 9 | New York, NY | $61,084 | $29.37 |
| 10 | Arlington, VA | $60,941 | $29.30 |
| 11 | Portland, ME | $60,732 | $29.20 |
| 12 | Houston, TX | $59,273 | $28.50 |
| 13 | Portland, OR | $59,011 | $28.37 |
| 14 | Miami, FL | $57,860 | $27.82 |
| 15 | Saint Louis, MO | $56,844 | $27.33 |
| 16 | Charlotte, NC | $56,723 | $27.27 |
| 17 | Kansas City, KS | $55,235 | $26.56 |
| 18 | Columbus, GA | $55,005 | $26.44 |
| 19 | Cleveland, OH | $54,550 | $26.23 |
| 20 | Colorado Springs, CO | $53,645 | $25.79 |
Executive Chefs are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Executive Chef salary details
An executive chef's salary ranges from $40,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $87,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an executive chef's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $87,000 | $7,250 | $42 |
| 75th Percentile | $72,000 | $6,000 | $35 |
| Average | $59,416 | $4,951 | $29 |
| 25th Percentile | $48,000 | $4,000 | $23 |
| 10th Percentile | $40,000 | $3,333 | $19 |
Highest paying executive chef jobs
The highest paying types of executive chefs are chef manager, chef de cuisine, and private chef.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Of House Manager | $41,163 | $3,430 | $19.79 | 221,210 |
| Chef/Kitchen Manager | $49,415 | $4,118 | $23.76 | 38,242 |
| Food And Beverage Supervisor | $38,335 | $3,195 | $18.43 | 61,726 |
| Food Service Coordinator | $32,085 | $2,674 | $15.43 | 79,537 |
| Chef De Cuisine | $51,926 | $4,327 | $24.96 | 18,300 |
| Chef De Partie | $39,938 | $3,328 | $19.20 | 18,913 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for Executive Chefs, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Patti Stobaugh
Top companies hiring executive chefs now:
Which companies pay executive chefs the most?
Executive chef salaries at Bridgewater Associates and RH are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average executive chef salary at companies like The Osborn and Neiman Marcus Group are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridgewater Associates | $118,651 | $57.04 |
| 2 | RH | $107,299 | $51.59 |
| 3 | The Osborn | $93,152 | $44.78 |
| 4 | Neiman Marcus Group | $88,082 | $42.35 |
| 5 | Stanford University | $86,286 | $41.48 |
| 6 | Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego | $85,811 | $41.26 |
| 7 | 2k | $84,378 | $40.57 |
| 8 | Club | $83,966 | $40.37 |
| 9 | Sun-Mar | $83,725 | $40.25 |
| 10 | Norman Regional Health System | $82,594 | $39.71 |
| 11 | Baptist Health Care | $82,484 | $39.66 |
| 12 | Cornell University | $82,419 | $39.62 |
| 13 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $82,159 | $39.50 |
| 14 | P.F. Chang's China Bistro | $82,067 | $39.46 |
| 15 | The Next Level | $80,130 | $38.52 |
| 16 | GPAC | $79,824 | $38.38 |
| 17 | Memorial Healthcare | $79,024 | $37.99 |
| 18 | Resorts World Catskills | $78,419 | $37.70 |
| 19 | Tenet Healthcare | $78,327 | $37.66 |
| 20 | J.F. Shea Co | $78,208 | $37.60 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Executive Chef salary trends
The average executive chef salary has risen by $12,277 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average executive chef earned $47,139 annually, but today, they earn $59,416 a year. That works out to a 24% change in pay for executive chefs over the last decade.
Compare executive chef salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average executive chef salary over time
Compare executive chef salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Executive Chef salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $59,400 | $28.57 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | $57,400 | $27.58 | +6.0% |
| 2023 | $53,900 | $25.93 | +5.2% |
| 2022 | $51,100 | $24.59 | +6.0% |
| 2021 | $48,100 | $23.11 | +3.9% |
Recently added executive chef salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compass Group USA Inc. | Executive Chef Manager | Billings, MT | 12/18/2024 | $55,000 |
| Montana State University | Executive Chef | Bozeman, MT | 12/18/2024 | $74,089 |
| College Fresh Inc. | Executive Chef | Denver, CO | 12/18/2024 | $56,349 |
| Gecko Hospitality | Executive Chef | Manchester, NH | 12/18/2024 | $85,000 |
| Aramark Corp | Executive Chef-Hawaii Pacific University | Urban Honolulu, HI | 12/17/2024 | $65,000 |
| Compass Group USA | Executive Chef | Omaha, NE | 12/17/2024 | $68,000 |
| HHS Culinary and Nutrition Solutions, LLC | Executive Chef (Healthcare) | Toledo, OH | 12/17/2024 | $70,000 |
| OHSU | Executive Sous Chef | Portland, OR | 12/17/2024 | $57,928 |
| Five Star Quality Care, Inc. | Executive Chef | Albany, NY | 12/16/2024 | $55,400 |
| Barclays Center | Executive Sous Chef 1377743 | Maryland | 12/16/2024 | $110,000 |
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