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

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

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.

Photo by Marjon Melissen

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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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Industries

Most Common

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

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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.

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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%.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

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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.