Chefs & head cooks

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Total Workforce

459k

Average Age

39.7

Average Salary

$36,492

Average Male Salary

$38,992

Average Female Salary

$27,843

About

Chefs & head cooks are most often employed by the Restaurants & Food Services industry. The average yearly wage for Chefs & head cooks was $36,492 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Chefs & head cooks by wage are Construction laborers, Print binding & finishing workers, and Pest control workers.

Chefs & head cooks are part of the Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations, along with Hosts & hostesses, restaurant, lounge, & coffee shop, Chefs & head cooks, Firstline supervisors of food preparation & serving workers, Cooks, Food preparation workers, and 7 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Chefs & head cooks are Sunset Park & Windsor Terrace PUMA, NY, Elmhurst & South Corona PUMA, NY, and Bensonhurst & Bath Beach PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Chefs & head cooks are Sunset Park & Windsor Terrace PUMA, NY, Elmhurst & South Corona PUMA, NY, and Bensonhurst & Bath Beach PUMA, NY.

Service Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Chefs & head cooks and on wages and locations for those in the field. Restaurants & Food Services is the industry that employs the most Chefs & head cooks, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Chefs & head cooks, by average wage, is Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events, agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures. Chefs & head cooks are paid most in Kalamazoo & Portage Cities Area PUMA, MI but are relatively concentrated in Sunset Park & Windsor Terrace PUMA, NY.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$36,492

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,053

In 2018, Chefs & head cooks earned an average of $36,492, $17,396 less than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Pest control workers make somewhat more than Chefs & head cooks while Construction laborers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Chefs & head cooks as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.34

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Chefs & head cooks had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.34, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Chefs & head cooks (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Chefs & head cooks.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Chefs & head cooks

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Chefs & head cooks.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Chefs & head cooks, by number of employees, are Restaurants & Food Services, Traveler accommodation, and Amusement & Recreation.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Chefs & head cooks, by average wage, are Travel arrangements & reservation services, Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events, agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures, Seafood & other miscellaneous foods, n.e.c. , Private households, Specialty food stores, and Travel arrangements & reservation services.

Industries by Share

459k

2018 Workforce

± 16,608

5.56%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 4.91%

The number of people employed as Chefs & head cooks has been growing at a rate of 5.56%, from 434,817 people in 2017 to 458,983 people in 2018.

This graphic shows the share of Chefs & head cooks employed by various industries. Restaurants & Food Services employs the largest share of Chefs & head cooks at 73.8%, followed by Traveler accommodation with 6.39% and Amusement & Recreation with 4.55%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Chefs & head cooks in the US. The average age of male Chefs & head cooks in the workforce is 39.5 and of female Chefs & head cooks is 40.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Chefs & head cooks is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

356k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 14,633

103k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 7,873

77.6% of Chefs & head cooks are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Chefs & head cooks.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Chefs & head cooks

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

43.6% of Chefs & head cooks are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 16.8% of Chefs & head cooks, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Chefs & head cooks.

Age by Gender

39.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.497

40.2

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.03

The median age of Chefs & head cooks is 39.7, and Male employees are generally 0.751 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Chefs & head cooks from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Chefs & head cooks is Business but a relatively high number of Chefs & head cooks hold a major in Personal & Culinary Services.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degree-majorss. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree-majors obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Chefs & head cooks from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chefs & head cooks need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Coordination, and Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Chefs & head cooks need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources, Management of Material Resources, and Management of Personnel Resources.