Chefs and Head Cooks in North Carolina

Is North Carolina a good place for you to work as a Chef or Head Cook?

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

• Projected employment for Chefs and Head Cooks in North Carolina is growing faster than average.

• Chefs and Head Cooks in North Carolina 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 North Carolina?

There were approximately 2,460 workers employed as Chefs and Head Cooks in this state in 2018.

There were 2,100 Chefs and Head Cooks employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 360 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 1,325 Chefs and Head Cooks working in it, which means North Carolina has more Chefs and Head Cooks than average.

Job Projections for North Carolina

Jobs for Chefs and Head Cooks in this state are growing at a rate of 12.6% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 9.6%.

North Carolina Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 330 annual job openings, and 2,590 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 North Carolina?

In 2018 wages for Chefs and Head Cooks ranged from $31,450 to $78,190 with $47,070 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $15.12 to $37.59. The median hourly rate was $22.63.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $22.97 an hour.

The hourly rate declined by $0.34.

The median salary in North Carolina is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top North Carolina 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
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	690	$47,150
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	610	$53,860
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC	380	$32,710
Raleigh, NC	280	$47,760
Asheville, NC	190	$46,390
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	150	$47,450
Winston-Salem, NC	130	$40,490
Wilmington, NC	80	$67,910
Fayetteville, NC	60	$53,440
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	60	$29,370

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 North Carolina

Discover similar careers:

Occupation	North Carolina Employment Total
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	36,160

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.