SOC 35-1011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Chefs and Head Cooks — Washington
Washington · 10 metro areas compared
Median pay for this occupation in Washington comes to $76,010 a year, ahead of the national median of $62,470 by 21.7%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
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 Washington.
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
Median pay for this occupation in Washington comes to $76,010 a year, ahead of the national median of $62,470 by 21.7%. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $58,650 and $81,540. The lowest tenth earn under $49,920, while the highest tenth earn more than $95,990.
The area has 5,320 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.16 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Among the 51 states with published data for this occupation, Washington ranks 4th by median wage. Seattle leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $80,330. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 364th of 757 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $49,920 | −20.1% |
| 25th | $58,650 | −6.1% |
| Median (50th) | $76,010 | +21.7% |
| 75th | $81,540 | +30.5% |
| 90th | $95,990 | +53.7% |
| Mean | $74,670 | +19.5% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Washington
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle | $80,330 | 3,740 | |
| 2 | Bremerton | $74,940 | 140 | |
| 3 | Kennewick | $73,750 | 100 | |
| 4 | Wenatchee | $73,690 | 80 | |
| 5 | Olympia | $72,270 | 140 | |
| 6 | Spokane | $71,540 | 240 | |
| 7 | Bellingham | $70,410 | 140 | |
| 8 | Walla Walla | $68,120 | 40 | |
| 9 | Longview | $63,080 | 40 | |
| 10 | Yakima | $62,920 | 80 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Washington run 7.0% above the national average, so the median of $76,010 buys what $71,037 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 13.7% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$76,010as reported by BLSLocal price level
107.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$71,037US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $76,010 a year, 21.7% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $49,920 to $95,990 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 5,320 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 4th of 51 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Seattle, at $80,330.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Chefs and Head Cooks in Washington?
The median annual wage is $76,010, or $36.54 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 Washington is 21.7% higher. 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 Washington earns more than $95,990 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $49,920 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 Seattle, at $80,330 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 5,320 jobs in this occupation in Washington. 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.
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