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Chefs and Head Cooks in Colorado

Want to work in Colorado as a Chef or Head Cook? Read this first!

24.5% Jobs Projection

$49,830 Median Salary

450 Job Openings

You’re in luck! Jobs for Chefs and Head Cooks in Colorado are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

Projected employment for Chefs and Head Cooks in Colorado is growing faster than average.
Chefs and Head Cooks in Colorado earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

What Major Will Prepare You For a Chef or Head Cook Career?

How Many Chefs and Head Cooks Work in Colorado?

There were 2,730 Chefs and Head Cooks employed in this state in 2017.

Job Projections for Colorado

Jobs for Chefs and Head Cooks in this state are growing at a rate of 24.5% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 9.6%.

Colorado Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 450 annual job openings, and 3,710 total jobs in 2026 for Chefs and Head Cooks in this state.

Nationwide, the prediction is 20,300 annual jobs and 160,600 total jobs in 2026.

What do Chefs and Head Cooks Make in Colorado?

In 2018 wages for Chefs and Head Cooks ranged from $31,120 to $74,330 with $49,830 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $14.96 to $35.73. The median hourly rate was $23.96.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $23.71 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.25.

The median salary in Colorado is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top Colorado Metros for Chefs and Head Cooks

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Chefs and Head Cooks.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO	1,560	$47,240
Boulder, CO	230	$51,460
Fort Collins, CO	90	$49,510

Top States for Chefs and Head Cooks Employment

The table below shows the states where most Chefs and Head Cooks work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	19,420	$46,360
New York	15,500	$52,010
Florida	11,150	$48,710
Texas	6,020	$50,580
Massachusetts	4,830	$56,070
Illinois	4,770	$49,070
Ohio	4,370	$40,270
South Carolina	3,630	$38,460
Arizona	3,580	$38,430
Nevada	3,450	$52,930
Pennsylvania	3,100	$57,500
Virginia	2,790	$53,000
Connecticut	2,640	$53,730
New Jersey	2,640	$66,790
North Carolina	2,460	$47,070
Maryland	2,290	$49,390
Wisconsin	2,240	$40,480
Michigan	2,160	$48,320
Georgia	2,060	$51,330
Tennessee	1,960	$45,890

Below are the states where Chefs and Head Cooks get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
New Jersey	$66,790
Hawaii	$63,810
District of Columbia	$63,150
West Virginia	$58,570
Pennsylvania	$57,500
Delaware	$57,340
Washington	$56,450
Wyoming	$56,150
Massachusetts	$56,070
Connecticut	$53,730

Discover similar careers:

Occupation	Colorado Employment Total
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	18,180

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
College Factual
National Center for Education Statistics
O*NET Online
Image Credit: By U.S. Army Europe Images under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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