Chefs and Head Cooks
Median $62,470
Occupation · SOC 35-1012
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: pay and where the jobs are
What first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$44,080 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $46,180
- Median hourly wage
- $21.19
- Mean hourly wage
- $22.20
- Employment
- 1,223,240
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 35-1012.
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How much do first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers make?
The median annual wage for first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers was $44,080 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $29,940 and the highest-paid 10% more than $65,570. As an hourly rate, the median is $21.19. About 1,223,240 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($59,400), District of Columbia ($57,170) and Connecticut ($52,940). Washington also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $29,940 | $14.40 | $2,495 | $2,186 |
| 25th percentile | $35,980 | $17.30 | $2,998 | $2,591 |
| Median | $44,080 | $21.19 | $3,673 | $3,133 |
| 75th percentile | $54,570 | $26.24 | $4,548 | $3,836 |
| 90th percentile | $65,570 | $31.52 | $5,464 | $4,572 |
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$45,867 take-home in national prices
2
$42,843 take-home in national prices
3
$41,829 take-home in national prices
Where a median first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving worker paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 20,700 | $59,400 | $44,110 | $81,820 | $49,084 | $45,867 |
| District of Columbia | 2,830 | $57,170 | $40,360 | $77,630 | $45,847 | $41,716 |
| Connecticut | 10,770 | $52,940 | $37,130 | $77,480 | $42,291 | $40,817 |
| Colorado | 25,510 | $50,550 | $37,620 | $75,210 | $41,059 | $39,843 |
| Vermont | 1,970 | $49,820 | $37,700 | $66,300 | $40,975 | $41,829 |
| New Hampshire | 3,840 | $49,710 | $34,900 | $75,100 | $42,122 | $40,438 |
| Hawaii | 7,330 | $48,880 | $37,530 | $78,730 | $39,266 | $35,713 |
| New Jersey | 27,750 | $48,420 | $35,960 | $77,810 | $39,564 | $36,363 |
| Rhode Island | 3,320 | $48,400 | $36,350 | $75,500 | $39,339 | $38,462 |
| Delaware | 4,030 | $48,120 | $37,610 | $73,060 | $38,658 | $38,733 |
| Maine | 3,740 | $47,990 | $36,730 | $64,990 | $38,935 | $40,118 |
| New York | 65,580 | $47,190 | $36,570 | $73,020 | $37,911 | $35,128 |
| California | 130,190 | $46,980 | $38,630 | $75,180 | $38,456 | $34,732 |
| Oregon | 16,880 | $46,950 | $36,030 | $71,010 | $36,653 | $35,461 |
| Massachusetts | 23,220 | $46,600 | $37,380 | $76,630 | $37,299 | $35,268 |
| Alaska | 2,390 | $46,570 | $35,840 | $66,210 | $39,366 | $38,459 |
| Virginia | 30,640 | $45,550 | $32,030 | $63,250 | $36,974 | $36,571 |
| Minnesota | 20,760 | $45,270 | $35,910 | $65,650 | $36,752 | $37,266 |
| North Carolina | 39,750 | $45,010 | $29,750 | $64,670 | $37,058 | $39,288 |
| Indiana | 23,500 | $44,880 | $31,010 | $63,340 | $36,947 | $39,588 |
| North Dakota | 2,780 | $44,720 | $35,250 | $60,720 | $38,113 | $42,843 |
| Florida | 91,500 | $44,470 | $30,490 | $65,120 | $37,912 | $36,660 |
| Nevada | 14,230 | $44,030 | $30,490 | $63,520 | $37,558 | $37,566 |
| Montana | 4,650 | $44,010 | $30,780 | $64,320 | $36,230 | $38,280 |
| Pennsylvania | 35,560 | $43,050 | $29,530 | $61,780 | $35,419 | $36,300 |
| Maryland | 20,150 | $42,450 | $35,140 | $63,470 | $34,638 | $33,002 |
| South Dakota | 2,920 | $40,640 | $34,350 | $50,670 | $34,834 | $39,323 |
| Arizona | 21,450 | $40,550 | $35,440 | $63,750 | $34,142 | $33,912 |
| Tennessee | 29,100 | $40,500 | $29,500 | $63,140 | $34,722 | $37,794 |
| Wisconsin | 21,240 | $39,670 | $30,310 | $60,650 | $32,987 | $35,057 |
| Illinois | 41,030 | $39,470 | $32,010 | $65,000 | $32,085 | $32,099 |
| New Mexico | 6,540 | $39,310 | $30,740 | $60,630 | $33,043 | $35,833 |
| Virgin Islands | 340 | $39,260 | $23,470 | $77,160 | — | — |
| Nebraska | 7,840 | $39,230 | $31,840 | $55,610 | $32,796 | $36,398 |
| Iowa | 11,400 | $38,760 | $29,010 | $60,040 | $32,503 | $37,035 |
| Utah | 13,670 | $38,750 | $30,750 | $63,210 | $32,290 | $32,661 |
| Georgia | 48,420 | $38,600 | $28,400 | $62,420 | $32,017 | $33,250 |
| South Carolina | 20,120 | $38,520 | $28,120 | $63,080 | $32,663 | $34,841 |
| Kansas | 10,520 | $38,220 | $28,680 | $60,050 | $31,557 | $35,037 |
| Idaho | 7,440 | $38,190 | $27,790 | $60,900 | $31,950 | $33,457 |
| Michigan | 32,890 | $37,940 | $29,500 | $59,750 | $31,303 | $32,534 |
| Missouri | 21,650 | $37,400 | $31,010 | $60,980 | $31,410 | $34,587 |
| Ohio | 51,990 | $37,340 | $29,750 | $58,660 | $31,606 | $34,068 |
| Alabama | 19,180 | $37,110 | $28,600 | $59,500 | $30,496 | $34,334 |
| Wyoming | 2,680 | $36,820 | $28,780 | $64,300 | $31,765 | $34,270 |
| Mississippi | 10,480 | $36,530 | $26,310 | $58,450 | $30,803 | $35,424 |
| Texas | 137,930 | $36,480 | $28,010 | $61,560 | $31,492 | $32,447 |
| Kentucky | 18,010 | $35,810 | $28,190 | $58,980 | $29,818 | $33,072 |
| Louisiana | 16,680 | $35,800 | $26,230 | $60,340 | $30,258 | $34,303 |
| Oklahoma | 18,900 | $35,420 | $27,000 | $56,670 | $29,592 | $33,687 |
| Arkansas | 11,200 | $33,800 | $27,820 | $50,580 | $28,575 | $32,869 |
| West Virginia | 6,390 | $33,070 | $27,160 | $49,390 | $27,927 | $31,205 |
| Puerto Rico | 6,960 | $28,420 | $23,130 | $41,320 | — | — |
| Guam | 640 | $27,310 | $22,970 | $34,180 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 35-1012. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.