# Chefs and Head Cooks

> Direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/chefs-and-head-cooks
- SOC code: 35-1011.00
- Career family: Food service
- Median annual pay: $62,470 (10th percentile $37,900, 90th percentile $98,560)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +6.6%
- Openings a year: 25,200
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ERC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 64 |
| Investigative (I) | 11 |
| Artistic (A) | 29 |
| Social (S) | 33 |
| Enterprising (E) | 69 |
| Conventional (C) | 56 |

## What you'd do

- Training and Teaching Others (importance 78/100)
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others (importance 77/100)
- Developing and Building Teams (importance 76/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 73/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 73/100)
- Getting Information (importance 73/100)
- Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates (importance 72/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 72/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 70/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 70/100)

## Skills

Coordination, Monitoring, Management of Personnel Resources, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Instructing

## Knowledge

Food Production, Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, Personnel and Human Resources, Administration and Management, Mathematics, Education and Training, English Language, Economics and Accounting, Administrative

## Also called

Baker, Banquet Chef, Bread and Pastry Baker, Cake Froster, Cake Icer, Cake Maker, Cake Mixer, Certified Executive Chef (CEC), Chef, Chef de Cuisine

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Culinary Arts and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1205) (CIP 1205, 510 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Culinary Institute of America-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/culinary-institute-of-america-new-york-729) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $48,130 | $61,944 | $22,875 |
| [Johnson & Wales University-Providence](https://www.collegesref.com/college/johnson-wales-university-providence-1346) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $45,406 | $55,056 | $27,000 |
| [SUNY College of Technology at Delhi](https://www.collegesref.com/college/suny-college-of-technology-at-delhi-2651) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $37,680 | $51,716 | $22,199 |
| [Drexel University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/drexel-university-834) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | not reported | $48,094 | not reported |
| [Walnut Hill College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/walnut-hill-college-3154) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $37,008 | $47,308 | $27,000 |
| [Nicholls State University-Louisiana](https://www.collegesref.com/college/nicholls-state-university-louisiana-1873) | Culinary Arts and Related Services | $32,721 | $46,969 | $24,750 |

## Related careers

- [Bakers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bakers): $37,160 median pay
- [Cooks, Restaurant](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-restaurant): $37,390 median pay
- [Cooks, Private Household](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-private-household): $47,940 median pay
- [Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-institution-and-cafeteria): $37,450 median pay
- [Food Service Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-service-managers): $69,390 median pay
- [Cooks, Short Order](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-short-order): $35,880 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.