How much does a chef / cook make?
Official figures for the US and the UK, and what you take home.
United States
Median a year
$62,470
Take-home a month
$4,365
at the median, single, no state income tax
Lowest 10% earn under
$37,900
Top 10% earn over
$98,560
200,040 people employed · SOC 35-1011 «Chefs and Head Cooks» · BLS, May 2025
United Kingdom
Median a year
£33,334
Take-home a month
£2,293
at the median, England, no student loan
Lowest 10% earn under
£23,503
Top 10% earn over
—
not published by ONS: not reliable enough
Full-time employees · SOC 5434 «Chefs» · ONS ASHE 2026 (provisional)
Medians and percentiles are gross pay before tax. US: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, published 15 May 2026, all industries. UK: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 (provisional), Table 14, published 22 October 2026, for the tax year ended 5 April 2026. Take-home pay from our US and UK calculators.
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