Chefs and Head Cooks
Also called: Chef, Executive Chef (Ex Chef), Kitchen Manager, Sous ChefDirect 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 8 of its 21 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 6.6% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 10.1 hires for every 10 job openings in accommodation and food services, which employs about 81% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.10.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $62,400 | $50,900 to $74,130 | 1,000 |
| Alaska | $52,190 | $41,390 to $73,120 | 680 |
| Arizona | $59,890 | $38,480 to $74,990 | 4,080 |
| Arkansas | $46,170 | $39,430 to $64,970 | 880 |
| California | $64,500 | $46,320 to $81,040 | 31,670 |
| Colorado | $65,400 | $58,220 to $79,420 | 3,970 |
| Connecticut | $64,310 | $51,160 to $77,800 | 3,080 |
| Delaware | $61,440 | $56,160 to $76,310 | 590 |
| District of Columbia | $76,420 | $63,550 to $81,360 | 2,020 |
| Florida | $58,240 | $43,680 to $75,840 | 19,670 |
| Georgia | $66,230 | $50,220 to $90,350 | 3,680 |
| Hawaii | $77,360 | $54,530 to $98,640 | 1,240 |
| Idaho | $52,000 | $42,330 to $66,930 | 550 |
| Illinois | $58,830 | $50,000 to $73,620 | 8,290 |
| Indiana | $52,190 | $39,110 to $64,990 | 1,940 |
| Iowa | $47,990 | $42,620 to $59,380 | 1,640 |
| Kansas | $58,390 | $43,990 to $74,990 | 860 |
| Kentucky | $48,070 | $36,850 to $66,770 | 1,790 |
| Louisiana | $45,570 | $39,650 to $59,020 | 1,990 |
| Maine | $57,010 | $55,070 to $63,060 | 1,250 |
| Maryland | $61,590 | $45,030 to $78,590 | 3,220 |
| Massachusetts | $69,540 | $54,120 to $83,050 | 6,000 |
| Michigan | $60,070 | $48,970 to $74,090 | 5,360 |
| Minnesota | $62,600 | $53,050 to $75,960 | 1,730 |
| Mississippi | $54,850 | $37,180 to $76,350 | 840 |
| Missouri | $64,480 | $49,550 to $76,520 | 1,750 |
| Montana | $57,470 | $48,890 to $72,020 | 720 |
| Nebraska | $60,510 | $46,020 to $81,660 | 540 |
| Nevada | $62,380 | $49,920 to $78,650 | 3,940 |
| New Hampshire | $63,400 | $52,510 to $76,300 | 1,170 |
| New Jersey | $74,280 | $59,860 to $82,200 | 9,100 |
| New Mexico | $62,250 | $48,540 to $83,260 | 770 |
| New York | $70,670 | $55,070 to $93,240 | 17,430 |
| North Carolina | $61,130 | $48,360 to $76,330 | 4,920 |
| North Dakota | $74,740 | $48,940 to $78,700 | 100 |
| Ohio | $53,990 | $45,760 to $74,130 | 4,000 |
| Oklahoma | $58,540 | $37,840 to $67,560 | 1,430 |
| Oregon | $63,600 | $53,660 to $77,420 | 2,510 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,860 | $49,280 to $81,790 | 9,170 |
| Puerto Rico | $30,800 | $26,580 to $47,840 | 770 |
| Rhode Island | $79,930 | $71,630 to $96,180 | 740 |
| South Carolina | $71,860 | $60,120 to $79,050 | 2,650 |
| South Dakota | $48,470 | $39,650 to $51,870 | 300 |
| Tennessee | $69,810 | $57,470 to $81,900 | 3,820 |
| Texas | $56,080 | $42,030 to $71,870 | 13,270 |
| Utah | $59,060 | $41,750 to $75,830 | 1,740 |
| Vermont | $65,440 | $56,770 to $77,360 | 610 |
| Virgin Islands | $63,960 | $46,800 to $78,000 | 260 |
| Virginia | $63,270 | $50,170 to $77,270 | 3,600 |
| Washington | $76,010 | $58,650 to $81,540 | 5,320 |
| West Virginia | $61,100 | $47,990 to $82,480 | 350 |
| Wisconsin | $61,300 | $49,200 to $74,080 | 1,860 |
| Wyoming | $73,170 | $62,100 to $83,700 | 240 |
Nationally: $62,470. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 8 of its 21 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations. | Not published |
| Not much | Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation. | Not published |
| Not much | Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards. | Not published |
| Not much | Check the quantity and quality of received products. | Not published |
See all 21 tasks
| Not much | Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met. | Not published |
| AI + software | Estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Analyze recipes to assign prices to menu items, based on food, labor, and overhead costs. | Not published |
| AI alone | Determine how food should be presented and create decorative food displays. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Prepare and cook foods of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or functions. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine production schedules and staff requirements necessary to ensure timely delivery of services. | Not published |
| AI alone | Meet with customers to discuss menus for special occasions, such as weddings, parties, or banquets. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Coordinate planning, budgeting, or purchasing for all the food operations within establishments such as clubs, hotels, or restaurant chains. | Not published |
| Not much | Meet with sales representatives to negotiate prices or order supplies. | Not published |
| Not much | 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. | Not published |
| AI + software | Arrange for equipment purchases or repairs. | Not published |
| Not much | Demonstrate new cooking techniques or equipment to staff. | Not published |
| AI alone | 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. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Recruit and hire staff, such as cooks and other kitchen workers. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record production or operational data on specified forms. | under 0.01% |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 5 of the 21 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 21 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- #36 Purchase goods or services
- #39 Determine values or prices of goods or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Develop recipes or menus | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Respond to customer problems or inquiries | |||
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Prepare foods or beverages |
Show all 15 activities
| Determine resource needs of projects or operations | |||
| Monitor individual behavior or performance | |||
| Plan events or programs | |||
| Schedule operational activities | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Inspect facilities or equipment | |||
| Perform human resources activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A recipe or meal plan26%
- A plan or strategy19%
- A document or report10%
- Advice or a recommendation9%
- Data or a spreadsheet9%
How they worked with Claude
24% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for chefs and head cooks specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 122,499 moves out
- 1 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 19%
- 2 Cooks, Restaurant Moderate +12.1% 8%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
- 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 122,151 moves in
- 1 Food Service Managers Moderate +5.8% 20%
- 2 Cooks, Restaurant Moderate +12.1% 17%
- 3 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers High +5.4% 4%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 12% high school
- 17% postsecondary certificate
- 8% some college
- 54% associate's
- 8% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 24 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 17% less than high school
- 33% high school
- 21% some college
- 15% associate's
- 12% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 4,444 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
5 programs, such as Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, General, Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef and Culinary Arts/Chef Training.
See all
- Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, General
- Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef
- Culinary Arts/Chef Training
- Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager
- Culinary Science/Culinology
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
62.0% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 1.4% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 8.3% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 2.3% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (CHIEF, COOK; COOK, CHIEF). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Chefs and Head Cooks” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/35-1011.00