How to Become a Chef / Head Cook
Run a kitchen: the menu, the cooking, the team, the ordering and the standards. It typically requires a high school diploma (culinary training common), with a median salary of $62,470 per year and much faster than average projected job growth.
Median pay
$62,470/yr
Middle half
$48,440 to $78,750
Job growth
Much faster than average
Openings / yr
24,400
Majors that lead here
Key skills
- Cooking
- Menu Planning
- Leadership
- Time Management
Related careers
- Food Service Manager$69,390 median
- Hotel Manager (Lodging)$69,250 median
- Event Planner$61,160 median
- Tour Guide$38,120 median
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Chef / Head Cook make?
The median pay for a Chef / Head Cook is $62,470 a year, and the middle half of workers earn between $48,440 and $78,750 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). That covers everyone in the job, not only people starting out, so newer workers sit toward the lower end.
What degree do you need to become a Chef / Head Cook?
The usual entry point is a high school diploma (culinary training common). Common majors are Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management.
Is Chef / Head Cook a growing field?
Projected job growth for this role from 2024 to 2034 is much faster than average (BLS projections via O*NET), with roughly 24,400 U.S. openings a year.
What skills does a Chef / Head Cook use most?
Common skills for this role are Cooking, Menu Planning, Leadership, and Time Management.
Planning to become a Chef / Head Cook?
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Take the major quizWhere these pay figures come from
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.
Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).