Chefs and Head Cooks in New Mexico

Considering a career as a Chef or Head Cook in New Mexico?

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

• Projected employment for Chefs and Head Cooks in New Mexico is growing faster than average.

• Chefs and Head Cooks in New Mexico earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

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

• Personal & Culinary Services
• Culinary Arts
• General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts
• Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef
• Culinary Arts/Chef Training
• Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager
• Culinary Science/Culinology

How Many Chefs and Head Cooks Work in New Mexico?

In New Mexico, there were 410 people working as Chefs and Head Cooks in the year 2018.

There were 510 Chefs and Head Cooks employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 100 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 1,325 Chefs and Head Cooks working in it, which means New Mexico has fewer Chefs and Head Cooks than average.

Job Projections for New Mexico

Jobs for Chefs and Head Cooks in this state are growing at a rate of 7.7% which is slower than the nationwide estimated projection of 9.6%.

New Mexico Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 90 annual job openings, and a total of 700 jobs for New Mexico Chefs and Head Cooks in 2026.

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

What do Chefs and Head Cooks Make in New Mexico?

In 2018 wages for Chefs and Head Cooks ranged from $27,990 to $79,360 with $46,480 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $13.46 to $38.15. The median hourly rate was $22.35.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $19.22 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $3.13.

The median salary in New Mexico is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top New Mexico 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
Albuquerque, NM	130	$47,020
Santa Fe, NM	90	$56,070

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

Related Careers in New Mexico

Discover similar careers:

Occupation	New Mexico Employment Total
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	7,360

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.