How much do executive chefs make in 2026?
Executive chefs are counted in the BLS chefs and head cooks series: OEWS May 2025 puts SOC 35-1011 at a national median of $62,470 a year ($30.03 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $37,900 and the top 10% at $98,560. The series pools executive chefs with head chefs, sous chefs and head cooks across restaurants, hotels, institutions and contract catering, so it describes kitchen leadership broadly and executive chefs typically sit above its midpoint. Operation type explains most of the variation. Independent restaurant executive chefs are often paid less than their reputation suggests, because the economics of a single restaurant are thin. Hotel, resort and multi-outlet executive chefs are paid better, with structured benefits, because they run larger operations with banquet volume behind them. Contract catering and institutional executive chef roles — corporate dining, healthcare, universities — pay comparably and offer far better hours, which is why experienced chefs move into them. Celebrity and fine dining kitchens generate visibility rather than income for most of the people in them. The honest arithmetic matters: a $62,470 median for fifty-five to seventy hours a week is a very different figure from the same salary for forty. Employment is projected to grow 7.1% through 2034 with roughly 24,400 openings a year. → Full executive chef career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $62,470 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Executive Chefs earn a national median $62,470/yr ($30.03/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 35-1011); the P10 to P90 range is $37,900 to $98,560.
- Operation type drives pay more than reputation: hotel, resort and contract catering executive chefs generally out-earn independent restaurant chefs with better benefits and hours.
- The published median must be read against the hours — fifty-five to seventy a week is common, which changes the effective rate substantially.
- Institutional and corporate dining roles pay comparably to hotels with far better schedules, which is why experienced chefs move into them.
US Executive Chef Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do executive chefs earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 35-1011; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 35-1011, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an executive chef earn at each career stage?
Kitchen leadership pay follows the size of the operation and the food cost you control. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 35-1011.
By State
Which states pay executive chefs the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national chef and head cook median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Culinary pay follows the local dining market's price points and the mix of hotels, resorts and contract catering far more than general wage levels.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($71,840), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
executive chef pay by state — all 1 state guide
By Metro
Which cities pay executive chefs the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. High-price dining markets pay more in nominal terms and often less in real terms once housing is counted.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an executive chef’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does executive chef pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Executive Chefs sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify executive chef wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an executive chef actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Executive Chef Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
Executive Chef career research journey
Do your homework, then let the network do the rest.Get the job, then keep rising
FreeSet your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring executive chefs?
Get a verified shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates in 48 hours
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Executive Chef
Everything for executive chefs in one place
Salary data, licensing, interview prep, and hiring, all cross-linked so you (and search engines) can move through the full executive chef cluster.