Chefs and Head Cooks · SOC 35-1011

Chef and Head Cook Salary in the Pinehurst Metro Area

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC metro area

Figures describe the Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Pinehurst city limits.

Median annual wage$62,260
Median hourly wage$29.93

Chefs and Head Cooks in the Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC metro area earned a median of $62,260 per year ($29.93 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $43,480 at the 10th percentile to $95,540 at the 90th. BLS estimates 90 people work in this occupation in the area.

Pay distribution

Half of Chefs and Head Cooks in the Pinehurst metro area earn more than $62,260 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $49,870 and $73,130.

Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS)
Wage10th25thMedian75th90th
Annual$43,480$49,870$62,260$73,130$95,540
Hourly$20.90$23.98$29.93$35.16$45.93

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.

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How this area compares

  • Pinehurst metro areathis metro area
    $62,260 median for Pinehurst metro area; middle half earns $49,870 to $73,130
  • North Carolinastate (NC)
    $61,130 median for North Carolina; middle half earns $48,360 to $76,330
  • $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 +2% vs North Carolina overall and about the same vs the U.S. median for this occupation.

Compare with other areas

Where this metro sits nationally

$26,440$46,267$66,093$85,920Mayaguez, PR — $26,440Ponce, PR — $30,800Aguadilla, PR — $31,060San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR — $35,990Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ — $37,570Muncie, IN — $37,920Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ — $38,470Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA — $38,560McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX — $39,140Monroe, LA — $39,990Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN — $40,300Homosassa Springs, FL — $41,680Lafayette, LA — $42,060Waco, TX — $42,660Hammond, LA — $42,680Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA — $42,930El Paso, TX — $43,020Sherman-Denison, TX — $43,020Shreveport-Bossier City, LA — $43,240Lake Charles, LA — $43,520Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $44,050Yuba City, CA — $44,340Cedar Rapids, IA — $44,480Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA — $44,610Lawrence, KS — $44,700Paducah, KY-IL — $44,720Lima, OH — $45,270Amarillo, TX — $45,370Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $45,400Baton Rouge, LA — $45,570Hanford-Corcoran, CA — $45,800Corpus Christi, TX — $46,150Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN — $46,310New Orleans-Metairie, LA — $46,400Evansville, IN — $46,480St. George, UT — $46,610Longview, TX — $46,870Kankakee, IL — $47,160Gainesville, FL — $47,380Boise City, ID — $47,500Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL — $47,540Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH — $47,580Owensboro, KY — $47,620Alexandria, LA — $47,670Dubuque, IA — $47,690Rockford, IL — $47,740Peoria, IL — $47,800Abilene, TX — $47,840Williamsport, PA — $47,840Brownsville-Harlingen, TX — $47,850Champaign-Urbana, IL — $48,040Springfield, IL — $48,100Rapid City, SD — $48,350Yuma, AZ — $48,590Manhattan, KS — $48,640Idaho Falls, ID — $48,670Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL — $48,710Iowa City, IA — $48,760Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL — $48,850San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $48,900Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $49,010Altoona, PA — $49,040Anchorage, AK — $49,190Bay City, MI — $49,310Wichita, KS — $49,440Fort Wayne, IN — $49,490Sioux City, IA-NE-SD — $49,590Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL — $49,660Laredo, TX — $49,670Canton-Massillon, OH — $49,730Odessa, TX — $49,820Tucson, AZ — $49,990Macon-Bibb County, GA — $50,080Sioux Falls, SD-MN — $50,150San Angelo, TX — $50,190Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL — $50,220Texarkana, TX-AR — $50,270Athens-Clarke County, GA — $50,330Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL — $50,720Toledo, OH — $50,790Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA — $51,210Logan, UT-ID — $51,220Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR — $51,230Gulfport-Biloxi, MS — $51,240Erie, PA — $51,340Ames, IA — $51,360Saginaw, MI — $51,430Gettysburg, PA — $52,000Tyler, TX — $52,050Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL — $52,110Bloomington, IN — $52,760Sebring, FL — $52,760Columbia, MO — $52,870Lebanon, PA — $52,870Jonesboro, AR — $52,970Killeen-Temple, TX — $53,000Tallahassee, FL — $53,060Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH — $53,240Youngstown-Warren, OH — $53,570Bowling Green, KY — $54,080Winchester, VA-WV — $54,110Ogden, UT — $54,260Punta Gorda, FL — $54,340Fargo, ND-MN — $54,390Wheeling, WV-OH — $54,400Hattiesburg, MS — $54,870Tulsa, OK — $54,930Bangor, ME — $54,990Topeka, KS — $55,030Akron, OH — $55,060Jacksonville, FL — $55,060Fairbanks-College, AK — $55,130Stockton-Lodi, CA — $55,210Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA — $55,360Burlington, NC — $55,530Ocala, FL — $55,540Winston-Salem, NC — $55,550Bloomington, IL — $55,700Chico, CA — $55,990Port St. Lucie, FL — $56,130Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL — $56,220Johnstown, PA — $56,440Lewiston-Auburn, ME — $56,440Redding, CA — $56,550Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA — $56,580Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI — $56,580Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $56,620Duluth, MN-WI — $56,790Lexington-Fayette, KY — $56,790Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL — $56,830York-Hanover, PA — $56,860Lynchburg, VA — $56,930Lubbock, TX — $56,950Traverse City, MI — $57,000Cleveland, OH — $57,020Missoula, MT — $57,170South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI — $57,180Bakersfield-Delano, CA — $57,220Roanoke, VA — $57,350Portland-South Portland, ME — $57,380Merced, CA — $57,500Helena, MT — $57,510Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT — $57,540Visalia, CA — $57,600Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $57,730Flint, MI — $57,800Fayetteville, NC — $57,830Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $57,870College Station-Bryan, TX — $57,920Rocky Mount, NC — $57,920Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $57,940Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ — $57,990Lancaster, PA — $58,040Midland, TX — $58,100Wilmington, NC — $58,120Mobile, AL — $58,130Corvallis, OR — $58,240Hot Springs, AR — $58,240Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $58,240La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN — $58,300Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX — $58,440Green Bay, WI — $58,480State College, PA — $58,560Niles, MI — $58,570Lexington Park, MD — $58,820Waterbury-Shelton, CT — $59,080Greensboro-High Point, NC — $59,160Colorado Springs, CO — $59,180Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA — $59,190Eau Claire, WI — $59,240Lansing-East Lansing, MI — $59,280Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $59,290Flagstaff, AZ — $59,380Oshkosh-Neenah, WI — $59,390San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA — $59,400Salisbury, MD — $59,470Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC — $59,480Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV — $59,510Jackson, MI — $59,510Wildwood-The Villages, FL — $59,510Kenosha, WI — $59,530Albany, GA — $59,540Battle Creek, MI — $59,540Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI — $59,640Lincoln, NE — $59,680Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $59,690Midland, MI — $59,700Richmond, VA — $59,730Columbus, OH — $59,830Chambersburg, PA — $59,950Dover, DE — $59,990Johnson City, TN — $59,990Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $60,030Albuquerque, NM — $60,040Mankato, MN — $60,050North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL — $60,180Billings, MT — $60,200Asheville, NC — $60,390Greenville, NC — $60,400St. Cloud, MN — $60,500San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $60,600Pueblo, CO — $60,710Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA — $60,750Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $60,770Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $60,870Clarksville, TN-KY — $60,880Janesville-Beloit, WI — $60,890Ann Arbor, MI — $60,910Las Cruces, NM — $61,030Fort Collins-Loveland, CO — $61,090Utica-Rome, NY — $61,090Raleigh-Cary, NC — $61,190Morristown, TN — $61,290Modesto, CA — $61,330Montgomery, AL — $61,330Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $61,390Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $61,400Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $61,580Pittsfield, MA — $61,580Brunswick-St. Simons, GA — $61,600Boulder, CO — $61,740Grand Junction, CO — $61,810Fresno, CA — $61,870Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $61,890Charlottesville, VA — $61,990Reno, NV — $62,070Bend, OR — $62,110Cleveland, TN — $62,180Appleton, WI — $62,200Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT — $62,220Omaha, NE-IA — $62,240Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC — $62,260Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV — $62,380Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $62,400Bozeman, MT — $62,460Rochester, MN — $62,520Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $62,620Greeley, CO — $62,730Watertown-Fort Drum, NY — $62,740Birmingham, AL — $62,760Knoxville, TN — $62,770Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT — $62,820Columbus, GA-AL — $62,920Yakima, WA — $62,920Eugene-Springfield, OR — $62,960Binghamton, NY — $63,010Kalamazoo-Portage, MI — $63,050Longview-Kelso, WA — $63,080Oklahoma City, OK — $63,160Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ — $63,220Vallejo, CA — $63,230Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $63,240Manchester-Nashua, NH — $63,260Harrisonburg, VA — $63,270Elmira, NY — $63,410Sheboygan, WI — $63,430Chattanooga, TN-GA — $63,690Savannah, GA — $63,700Salem, OR — $63,750Huntsville, AL — $64,000Springfield, MA — $64,000Ithaca, NY — $64,010Kansas City, MO-KS — $64,010Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $64,100Syracuse, NY — $64,170Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $64,260Madison, WI — $64,300Jackson, MS — $64,480Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $64,480St. Louis, MO-IL — $64,480Worcester, MA — $64,620Medford, OR — $64,700Sumter, SC — $65,020Coeur d'Alene, ID — $65,030Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA — $65,060Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $65,680Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $65,690Tuscaloosa, AL — $65,900Wausau, WI — $65,910Rochester, NY — $66,080Dalton, GA — $66,090Durham-Chapel Hill, NC — $66,090Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $66,230Pittsburgh, PA — $66,320Amherst Town-Northampton, MA — $66,450New Haven, CT — $66,700Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT — $66,930Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $66,970Reading, PA — $66,980Sandusky, OH — $67,190Springfield, MO — $67,460Warner Robins, GA — $67,530Florence, SC — $67,550Glens Falls, NY — $67,590Barnstable Town, MA — $67,700Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC — $68,070Walla Walla, WA — $68,120Auburn-Opelika, AL — $68,830Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL — $68,830Naples-Marco Island, FL — $68,830San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $68,970Jackson, TN — $69,280Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC — $69,680Columbia, SC — $69,820Burlington-South Burlington, VT — $69,920Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $69,990Trenton-Princeton, NJ — $70,210Bellingham, WA — $70,410Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $70,420Gainesville, GA — $70,780Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA — $71,540Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC — $71,700New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $71,780Santa Fe, NM — $72,020Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA — $72,270Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY — $72,340Salinas, CA — $72,440Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $72,470Spartanburg, SC — $72,670Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA — $73,570Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC — $73,690Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA — $73,690Kennewick-Richland, WA — $73,750Charleston-North Charleston, SC — $74,210Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY — $74,290Urban Honolulu, HI — $74,380Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $74,660Kingston, NY — $74,710Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $74,900Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA — $74,940Vineland, NJ — $75,050Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ — $75,740Napa, CA — $78,960San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $79,020Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $79,340Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $80,330Morgantown, WV — $81,330Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $84,430Kahului-Wailuku, HI — $84,990Terre Haute, IN — $85,920

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 Pinehurst metro area has the 109th-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 North Carolina

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.

  • Pinehurst metro areathis page
    $62,260 median for Pinehurst metro area; middle half earns $49,870 to $73,130
  • $66,090 median for Durham metro area; middle half earns $52,660 to $76,760
  • $64,260 median for Charlotte metro area; middle half earns $58,020 to $77,950
  • $61,190 median for Raleigh metro area; middle half earns $47,270 to $76,840
  • $60,400 median for Greenville metro area; middle half earns $46,900 to $71,460
  • $60,390 median for Asheville metro area; middle half earns $49,990 to $73,950
  • $59,480 median for Hickory metro area; middle half earns $46,800 to $70,930

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:

Highest-paying metro areas for chef and head cooks · Highest-paying occupations in Pinehurst 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.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.