Chef United States
Chef salary in the US
Typical pay
$36.06an hour
About $75,000 a year at full time
Most Chefs earn $30.05 to $41.37 an hour
From 779 current job postings, updated Oct 30, 2026 Pay that employers list in their job postings
The median Chef pay in the US is $36.06 an hour. Most job postings pay $30.05 to $41.37. From 779 current job postings, updated Oct 30, 2026.
3,464 open jobs. See them
Typical pay by state
Pick a state on the map or in the table to see its cities, pay and open Chef jobs.
| Hawaii | $45.05 | $39.66 to $61.30 | 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $39.66 | $35.27 to $45.67 | 138 |
| New York | $39.66 | $34.86 to $46.88 | 131 |
| Massachusetts | $39.16 | $33.77 to $48.38 | 57 |
| Texas | $37.73 | $30.40 to $42.08 | 81 |
| Florida | $37.67 | $32.93 to $40.73 | 32 |
| Virginia | $37.53 | $28.85 to $56.49 | 17 |
| Maryland | $37.50 | $29.39 to $44.62 | 17 |
| Illinois | $36.06 | $33.89 to $50.48 | 47 |
| Tennessee | $36.06 | $35.06 to $39.90 | 15 |
| Utah | $36.06 | $30.00 to $41.57 | 13 |
| Arizona | $35.37 | $32.00 to $38.46 | 37 |
| Colorado | $34.86 | $31.34 to $38.22 | 30 |
| Georgia | $34.78 | $31.25 to $43.27 | 27 |
| Idaho | $33.65 | $21.00 to $41.27 | 11 |
| New Jersey | $32.45 | $27.64 to $40.46 | 17 |
| Washington | $32.05 | $26.01 to $35.38 | 10 |
| North Carolina | $31.49 | $26.41 to $36.54 | 16 |
| Ohio | $31.25 | $27.64 to $41.59 | 13 |
| Pennsylvania | $28.45 | $23.53 to $40.87 | 18 |
| Alabama | – | – | 7 |
| Alaska | – | – | 1 |
| Arkansas | – | – | 0 |
| Connecticut | – | – | 8 |
| Delaware | – | – | 1 |
| District of Columbia | – | – | 9 |
| Indiana | – | – | 8 |
| Iowa | – | – | 4 |
| Kansas | – | – | 8 |
| Kentucky | – | – | 1 |
| Louisiana | – | – | 1 |
| Maine | – | – | 3 |
| Michigan | – | – | 9 |
| Minnesota | – | – | 9 |
| Mississippi | – | – | 0 |
| Missouri | – | – | 5 |
| Montana | – | – | 1 |
| Nebraska | – | – | 3 |
| Nevada | – | – | 6 |
| New Hampshire | – | – | 2 |
| New Mexico | – | – | 1 |
| North Dakota | – | – | 0 |
| Oklahoma | – | – | 6 |
| Oregon | – | – | 4 |
| Rhode Island | – | – | 2 |
| South Carolina | – | – | 8 |
| South Dakota | – | – | 1 |
| Vermont | – | – | 2 |
| West Virginia | – | – | 0 |
| Wisconsin | – | – | 2 |
| Wyoming | – | – | 2 |
Pay advertised in current postings, per hour. Postings are those that list pay.
Pay in the biggest hiring cities
| San Diego, CA | $45.67 | $35.16 to $50.38 | 54 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $40.87 | $38.46 to $53.37 | 56 | 18 |
| Washington, DC | $40.87 | $34.46 to $50.48 | 129 | 26 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $39.90 | $35.82 to $46.54 | 163 | 69 |
| New York, NY | $39.71 | $34.92 to $48.08 | 298 | 132 |
| Boston, MA | $39.66 | $32.90 to $48.98 | 157 | 55 |
| Miami, FL | $39.66 | $37.02 to $43.87 | 168 | 18 |
| Dallas, TX | $37.66 | $32.56 to $47.72 | 103 | 26 |
| Denver, CO | $36.78 | $33.89 to $39.36 | 44 | 18 |
| Chicago, IL | $36.06 | $34.86 to $50.48 | 102 | 44 |
| Houston, TX | $36.06 | $32.45 to $40.87 | 112 | 36 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $36.06 | $32.46 to $38.46 | 94 | 34 |
| Austin, TX | $35.26 | $32.11 to $44.63 | 65 | 15 |
| Atlanta, GA | $34.78 | $31.06 to $43.91 | 75 | 20 |
| Charlotte, NC | $31.49 | $26.41 to $37.41 | 51 | 15 |
Pay by experience level
What most job postings pay at each stage. The dot is typical pay.
- Starting out 67 job postings$21.99 $33.65
Typical: $26.00
Most new hires start near the low end.
- Experienced 484 job postings$30.05 $40.87
Typical: $36.06
- Senior 31 job postings$34.86 $50.97
Typical: $41.14
- Lead or manager 75 job postings$37.02 $49.95
Typical: $40.87
Where would you land?
Pick your level to see what most Chef job postings in the US pay at it.
Experienced: most postings pay $30.05 to $40.87 an hour, typically $36.06.
Upload your resume to see where you land, which employers pay above this range, and the matching open roles.
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Pay by employer and level
Typical hourly pay at the employers with the most postings that list pay. A dash means fewer than 10 of their postings at that level list pay.
| Employer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark | $31.25 | – | $37.26 | – | – |
| Hospitality | $42.07 | – | $45.67 | – | – |
| Gecko Hospitality | $39.06 | – | $39.06 | – | – |
See every employer's pay
5 more employers hiring Chef roles. Free with a Workybara account.
Sign up freeHow much does a Chef make in the US?
Employers hiring now typically offer $36.06 an hour for Chef roles in the US. These numbers come from the pay employers list in their job postings, so they show what is on offer today rather than what people earned last year. We only show a number when at least 10 postings list pay.
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