Chefs and Head Cooks
Hospitality and TourismO*NET 35-1011.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $58,276
- Projected change
- +12.1%
- Typical education
- Associate degree
- Employment
- 234.25K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
54.2% of the workforce
Growing to 262.62K by 2035
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The work
What chefs and head cooks do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
- Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
- Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
- Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
- Check the quantity and quality of received products.
- Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
- Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
- Estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients.
- Coordinate planning, budgeting, or purchasing for all the food operations within establishments such as clubs, hotels, or restaurant chains.
- Analyze recipes to assign prices to menu items, based on food, labor, and overhead costs.
- Plan, direct, or supervise food preparation or cooking activities of multiple kitchens or restaurants in an establishment such as a restaurant chain, hospital, or hotel.
- Determine how food should be presented and create decorative food displays.
- Prepare and cook foods of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or functions.
- Determine production schedules and staff requirements necessary to ensure timely delivery of services.
- Meet with customers to discuss menus for special occasions, such as weddings, parties, or banquets.
- Recruit and hire staff, such as cooks and other kitchen workers.
- Meet with sales representatives to negotiate prices or order supplies.
- Record production or operational data on specified forms.
- Arrange for equipment purchases or repairs.
- Demonstrate new cooking techniques or equipment to staff.
- Collaborate with other personnel to plan and develop recipes or menus, taking into account such factors as seasonal availability of ingredients or the likely number of customers.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $33,811
- 25th percentile
- $44,277
- 50th percentile
- $58,276
- 75th percentile
- $75,295
- 90th percentile
- $99,288
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $58,276 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+12.1%faster than average
2025234,246 jobs
2035 projected262,624 jobs
28,378 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Associate degree
- 54.2%
- Certificate
- 16.7%
- High school diploma or less
- 12.5%
- Some college
- 8.3%
- Bachelor's degree
- 8.3%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Sous Chefs14,862 postings
- 02Executive Chefs8,070 postings
- 03Sushi Chefs4,808 postings
- 04Chefs3,960 postings
- 05Chefs De Cuisine2,836 postings
- 06Executive Sous Chefs2,653 postings
- 07Pastry Chefs1,662 postings
- 08Head Chefs1,462 postings
- 09Chefs De Partie1,339 postings
- 10Pastry Cooks1,283 postings
- 11Banquet Chefs877 postings
- 12Chefs/Cooks798 postings
- 13Pizza Chefs703 postings
- 14Restaurant Chefs673 postings
- 15Private Chefs557 postings
- 16Banquet Sous Chefs501 postings
- 17Chef Managers485 postings
- 18Line Chefs/Line Cooks444 postings
- 19Event Chefs424 postings
- 20Pastry Sous Chefs402 postings
Top employers
- 01Compass Group4,405 postings
- 02Marriott International1,125 postings
- 03Sodexo963 postings
- 04Aramark924 postings
- 05Goodwin Recruiting880 postings
- 06Walt Disney790 postings
- 07Hilton534 postings
- 08Hyatt458 postings
- 09Csc Generation444 postings
- 10French Lick Resort387 postings
- 11Delaware North355 postings
- 12K-Va-T Food Stores338 postings
- 13Elior Group283 postings
- 14Morrison Healthcare264 postings
- 15American Cruise Lines243 postings
- 16Omni Hotels & Resorts241 postings
- 17The Chef Agency239 postings
- 18Landry's194 postings
- 19Food City193 postings
- 20Hana Group188 postings
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