Pay distribution $48,820 10th $56,790 25th $85,000 75th $100,740 90th
Half of Chefs and Head Cooks in the Boston metro area earn more than $72,470 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $56,790 and $85,000.
Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS) Wage 10th 25th Median 75th 90th Annual $48,820 $56,790 $72,470 $85,000 $100,740 Hourly $23.47 $27.30 $34.84 $40.86 $48.43
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares Boston metro areathis metro area
$72,470 median for Boston metro area; middle half earns $56,790 to $85,000
$69,540 median for Massachusetts; middle half earns $54,120 to $83,050
$62,470 median for United States; middle half earns $48,440 to $78,750
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is +4% vs Massachusetts overall and +16% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Where this metro sits nationally $26,440 $46,267 $66,093 $85,920 Mayaguez, PR — $26,440 Ponce, PR — $30,800 Aguadilla, PR — $31,060 San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR — $35,990 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ — $37,570 Muncie, IN — $37,920 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ — $38,470 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA — $38,560 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX — $39,140 Monroe, LA — $39,990 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN — $40,300 Homosassa Springs, FL — $41,680 Lafayette, LA — $42,060 Waco, TX — $42,660 Hammond, LA — $42,680 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA — $42,930 El Paso, TX — $43,020 Sherman-Denison, TX — $43,020 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA — $43,240 Lake Charles, LA — $43,520 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $44,050 Yuba City, CA — $44,340 Cedar Rapids, IA — $44,480 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA — $44,610 Lawrence, KS — $44,700 Paducah, KY-IL — $44,720 Lima, OH — $45,270 Amarillo, TX — $45,370 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $45,400 Baton Rouge, LA — $45,570 Hanford-Corcoran, CA — $45,800 Corpus Christi, TX — $46,150 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN — $46,310 New Orleans-Metairie, LA — $46,400 Evansville, IN — $46,480 St. George, UT — $46,610 Longview, TX — $46,870 Kankakee, IL — $47,160 Gainesville, FL — $47,380 Boise City, ID — $47,500 Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL — $47,540 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH — $47,580 Owensboro, KY — $47,620 Alexandria, LA — $47,670 Dubuque, IA — $47,690 Rockford, IL — $47,740 Peoria, IL — $47,800 Abilene, TX — $47,840 Williamsport, PA — $47,840 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX — $47,850 Champaign-Urbana, IL — $48,040 Springfield, IL — $48,100 Rapid City, SD — $48,350 Yuma, AZ — $48,590 Manhattan, KS — $48,640 Idaho Falls, ID — $48,670 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL — $48,710 Iowa City, IA — $48,760 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL — $48,850 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $48,900 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $49,010 Altoona, PA — $49,040 Anchorage, AK — $49,190 Bay City, MI — $49,310 Wichita, KS — $49,440 Fort Wayne, IN — $49,490 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD — $49,590 Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL — $49,660 Laredo, TX — $49,670 Canton-Massillon, OH — $49,730 Odessa, TX — $49,820 Tucson, AZ — $49,990 Macon-Bibb County, GA — $50,080 Sioux Falls, SD-MN — $50,150 San Angelo, TX — $50,190 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL — $50,220 Texarkana, TX-AR — $50,270 Athens-Clarke County, GA — $50,330 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL — $50,720 Toledo, OH — $50,790 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA — $51,210 Logan, UT-ID — $51,220 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR — $51,230 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS — $51,240 Erie, PA — $51,340 Ames, IA — $51,360 Saginaw, MI — $51,430 Gettysburg, PA — $52,000 Tyler, TX — $52,050 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL — $52,110 Bloomington, IN — $52,760 Sebring, FL — $52,760 Columbia, MO — $52,870 Lebanon, PA — $52,870 Jonesboro, AR — $52,970 Killeen-Temple, TX — $53,000 Tallahassee, FL — $53,060 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH — $53,240 Youngstown-Warren, OH — $53,570 Bowling Green, KY — $54,080 Winchester, VA-WV — $54,110 Ogden, UT — $54,260 Punta Gorda, FL — $54,340 Fargo, ND-MN — $54,390 Wheeling, WV-OH — $54,400 Hattiesburg, MS — $54,870 Tulsa, OK — $54,930 Bangor, ME — $54,990 Topeka, KS — $55,030 Akron, OH — $55,060 Jacksonville, FL — $55,060 Fairbanks-College, AK — $55,130 Stockton-Lodi, CA — $55,210 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA — $55,360 Burlington, NC — $55,530 Ocala, FL — $55,540 Winston-Salem, NC — $55,550 Bloomington, IL — $55,700 Chico, CA — $55,990 Port St. Lucie, FL — $56,130 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL — $56,220 Johnstown, PA — $56,440 Lewiston-Auburn, ME — $56,440 Redding, CA — $56,550 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA — $56,580 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI — $56,580 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $56,620 Duluth, MN-WI — $56,790 Lexington-Fayette, KY — $56,790 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL — $56,830 York-Hanover, PA — $56,860 Lynchburg, VA — $56,930 Lubbock, TX — $56,950 Traverse City, MI — $57,000 Cleveland, OH — $57,020 Missoula, MT — $57,170 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI — $57,180 Bakersfield-Delano, CA — $57,220 Roanoke, VA — $57,350 Portland-South Portland, ME — $57,380 Merced, CA — $57,500 Helena, MT — $57,510 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT — $57,540 Visalia, CA — $57,600 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $57,730 Flint, MI — $57,800 Fayetteville, NC — $57,830 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $57,870 College Station-Bryan, TX — $57,920 Rocky Mount, NC — $57,920 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $57,940 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ — $57,990 Lancaster, PA — $58,040 Midland, TX — $58,100 Wilmington, NC — $58,120 Mobile, AL — $58,130 Corvallis, OR — $58,240 Hot Springs, AR — $58,240 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $58,240 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN — $58,300 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX — $58,440 Green Bay, WI — $58,480 State College, PA — $58,560 Niles, MI — $58,570 Lexington Park, MD — $58,820 Waterbury-Shelton, CT — $59,080 Greensboro-High Point, NC — $59,160 Colorado Springs, CO — $59,180 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA — $59,190 Eau Claire, WI — $59,240 Lansing-East Lansing, MI — $59,280 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $59,290 Flagstaff, AZ — $59,380 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI — $59,390 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA — $59,400 Salisbury, MD — $59,470 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC — $59,480 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV — $59,510 Jackson, MI — $59,510 Wildwood-The Villages, FL — $59,510 Kenosha, WI — $59,530 Albany, GA — $59,540 Battle Creek, MI — $59,540 Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI — $59,640 Lincoln, NE — $59,680 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $59,690 Midland, MI — $59,700 Richmond, VA — $59,730 Columbus, OH — $59,830 Chambersburg, PA — $59,950 Dover, DE — $59,990 Johnson City, TN — $59,990 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $60,030 Albuquerque, NM — $60,040 Mankato, MN — $60,050 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL — $60,180 Billings, MT — $60,200 Asheville, NC — $60,390 Greenville, NC — $60,400 St. Cloud, MN — $60,500 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $60,600 Pueblo, CO — $60,710 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA — $60,750 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $60,770 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $60,870 Clarksville, TN-KY — $60,880 Janesville-Beloit, WI — $60,890 Ann Arbor, MI — $60,910 Las Cruces, NM — $61,030 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO — $61,090 Utica-Rome, NY — $61,090 Raleigh-Cary, NC — $61,190 Morristown, TN — $61,290 Modesto, CA — $61,330 Montgomery, AL — $61,330 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $61,390 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $61,400 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $61,580 Pittsfield, MA — $61,580 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA — $61,600 Boulder, CO — $61,740 Grand Junction, CO — $61,810 Fresno, CA — $61,870 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $61,890 Charlottesville, VA — $61,990 Reno, NV — $62,070 Bend, OR — $62,110 Cleveland, TN — $62,180 Appleton, WI — $62,200 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT — $62,220 Omaha, NE-IA — $62,240 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC — $62,260 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV — $62,380 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $62,400 Bozeman, MT — $62,460 Rochester, MN — $62,520 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $62,620 Greeley, CO — $62,730 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY — $62,740 Birmingham, AL — $62,760 Knoxville, TN — $62,770 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT — $62,820 Columbus, GA-AL — $62,920 Yakima, WA — $62,920 Eugene-Springfield, OR — $62,960 Binghamton, NY — $63,010 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI — $63,050 Longview-Kelso, WA — $63,080 Oklahoma City, OK — $63,160 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ — $63,220 Vallejo, CA — $63,230 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $63,240 Manchester-Nashua, NH — $63,260 Harrisonburg, VA — $63,270 Elmira, NY — $63,410 Sheboygan, WI — $63,430 Chattanooga, TN-GA — $63,690 Savannah, GA — $63,700 Salem, OR — $63,750 Huntsville, AL — $64,000 Springfield, MA — $64,000 Ithaca, NY — $64,010 Kansas City, MO-KS — $64,010 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $64,100 Syracuse, NY — $64,170 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $64,260 Madison, WI — $64,300 Jackson, MS — $64,480 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $64,480 St. Louis, MO-IL — $64,480 Worcester, MA — $64,620 Medford, OR — $64,700 Sumter, SC — $65,020 Coeur d'Alene, ID — $65,030 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA — $65,060 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $65,680 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $65,690 Tuscaloosa, AL — $65,900 Wausau, WI — $65,910 Rochester, NY — $66,080 Dalton, GA — $66,090 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC — $66,090 Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $66,230 Pittsburgh, PA — $66,320 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA — $66,450 New Haven, CT — $66,700 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT — $66,930 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $66,970 Reading, PA — $66,980 Sandusky, OH — $67,190 Springfield, MO — $67,460 Warner Robins, GA — $67,530 Florence, SC — $67,550 Glens Falls, NY — $67,590 Barnstable Town, MA — $67,700 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC — $68,070 Walla Walla, WA — $68,120 Auburn-Opelika, AL — $68,830 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL — $68,830 Naples-Marco Island, FL — $68,830 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $68,970 Jackson, TN — $69,280 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC — $69,680 Columbia, SC — $69,820 Burlington-South Burlington, VT — $69,920 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $69,990 Trenton-Princeton, NJ — $70,210 Bellingham, WA — $70,410 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $70,420 Gainesville, GA — $70,780 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA — $71,540 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC — $71,700 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $71,780 Santa Fe, NM — $72,020 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA — $72,270 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY — $72,340 Salinas, CA — $72,440 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $72,470 Spartanburg, SC — $72,670 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA — $73,570 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC — $73,690 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA — $73,690 Kennewick-Richland, WA — $73,750 Charleston-North Charleston, SC — $74,210 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY — $74,290 Urban Honolulu, HI — $74,380 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $74,660 Kingston, NY — $74,710 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $74,900 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA — $74,940 Vineland, NJ — $75,050 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ — $75,740 Napa, CA — $78,960 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $79,020 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $79,340 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $80,330 Morgantown, WV — $81,330 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $84,430 Kahului-Wailuku, HI — $84,990 Terre Haute, IN — $85,920 Boston metro area Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.
The Boston metro area has the 23rd-highest published median for this occupation among the 340 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Other metro areas in Massachusetts Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for chefs and head cooks, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
Boston metro areathis page
$72,470 median for Boston metro area; middle half earns $56,790 to $85,000
$67,700 median for Barnstable Town metro area; middle half earns $54,840 to $82,470
$66,450 median for Amherst Town metro area; middle half earns $49,030 to $82,240
$64,620 median for Worcester metro area; middle half earns $49,490 to $77,020
$64,000 median for Springfield metro area; middle half earns $47,690 to $76,780
$61,580 median for Pittsfield metro area; middle half earns $44,730 to $73,350
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Fast Food and Counter Workers $36,290 Waiters and Waitresses $39,270 Cooks, Restaurant $45,830 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $47,090 Bartenders $37,760 Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop $35,140 Highest-paying metro areas for chef and head cooks · Highest-paying occupations in Boston Metro
About this estimate These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology .