SalaryExplorer

SOC 35-1011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Chefs and Head Cooks — Beaumont

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX · 10 metro areas compared

$58,440 /year
$28.10per hour
120jobs in area
−6.5%vs US median

The median wage for Chefs and Head Cooks in Beaumont, TX is $58,440 per year, close to the national median of $62,470 for the same occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $62,47010TH$29,79025TH$38,540MEDIAN$58,44075TH$83,54090TH$92,500

How pay has moved

$86,148$29,0432019202020212022202320242025$58,440
$76,630 in 2019 to $58,440 in 2025, -23.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+7.1%
Openings per year
24,400
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
Related work experience
5 years or more

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

6.3% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Chefs and Head Cooks in Beaumont, TX is $58,440 per year, close to the national median of $62,470 for the same occupation. Half of workers earn between $38,540 and $83,540. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $29,790 and the ninetieth at $92,500.

The area has 120 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.8 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Dallas records the highest median at $64,100. Of the 372 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 175th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$29,790−52.3%
25th$38,540−38.3%
Median (50th)$58,440−6.5%
75th$83,540+33.7%
90th$92,500+48.1%
Mean$60,090−3.8%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Texas

Median annual wage for Chefs and Head Cooks, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Dallas$64,1003,550
2Austin$62,4001,710
3Midland$58,100100
4College Station$57,920170
5Lubbock$56,950100
6Killeen$53,000110
7Tyler$52,05090
8Texarkana$50,27050
9San Angelo$50,19050
10Odessa$49,82070

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Beaumont run 10.0% below the national average, so the median of $58,440 goes as far as $64,933 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 3.9% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$58,440as reported by BLS

Local price level

90.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$64,933US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $58,440 a year, 6.5% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $29,790 to $92,500 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 120 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Dallas, at $64,100.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Chefs and Head Cooks in Beaumont, TX?

The median annual wage is $58,440, or $28.10 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $62,470, so pay in Beaumont, TX is 6.5% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Beaumont, TX earns more than $92,500 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $29,790 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Dallas, at $64,100 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 120 jobs in this occupation in Beaumont, TX. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Chefs and Head Cooks Salary in Beaumont, TX (2025): $58,440 Median | Salary Explorer