What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Head Cook Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Head Cook in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Marriott Hotel Chef at $41,250 (108.4%) above Head Cook. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Marriott Hotel Chef $79,308 $6,609 $1,525 $38.13 Banquet Cook $40,497 $3,374 $778 $19.47 Catering Cook $38,520 $3,210 $740 $18.52 Cook 1 $36,873 $3,072 $709 $17.73 Restaurant Cook $27,597 $2,299 $530 $13.27

What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Head Cook?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Head Cook jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Wainwright, AK (30.5% above average), followed by Akutan, AK and Barrow, AK. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Wainwright, AK $49,659 $4,138 $954 $23.87 Akutan, AK $48,443 $4,036 $931 $23.29 Barrow, AK $47,412 $3,951 $911 $22.79 Belmont, MA $47,195 $3,932 $907 $22.69 Pennington County, SD $47,166 $3,930 $907 $22.68 Bellerose, NY $47,105 $3,925 $905 $22.65 Berkeley, CA $46,600 $3,883 $896 $22.40 Royal City, WA $46,408 $3,867 $892 $22.31 Andover, MA $46,266 $3,855 $889 $22.24 Norwood, NY $45,999 $3,833 $884 $22.11

Head Cook

Head Cook Salary

Q: How much does a Head Cook make?

The average annual pay for a head cook in the United States is $38,058 a year — that works out to approximately $18.30 an hour. The middle 80% of Head Cooks earn between $24,000 (10th percentile) and $51,500 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

$20.5K

$36K

$62K

$38,058

/year

$18.30

/hour

Head Cook Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$38,058

Columbus

Ohio

$36,760

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How much does a Head Cook make?

As of Aug 23, 2026, the average annual pay for a Head Cook in the United States is $38,058 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $18.30 an hour. This is the equivalent of $731/week or $3,171/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $62,000 and as low as $20,500, the majority of Head Cook salaries currently range between $30,000 (25th percentile) to $43,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $51,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Head Cook varies greatly (by as much as 13000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Head Cook in your area makes on average $36,760 per year, or $1,298 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $38,058. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Head Cook salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Head Cook jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Head Cook on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Head Cook Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Head Cook job is above the national average. Topping the list is Wainwright, AK, , with Akutan, AK, and Barrow, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Barrow, AK, beats the national average by $9,354 (24.6%), and Wainwright, AK, furthers that trend with another $11,601 (30.5%) above the $38,058 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Head Cook appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 7% between Wainwright, AK, and Norwood, NY, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Head Cook role.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Wainwright, AK	$49,659	$4,138	$954	$23.87
Akutan, AK	$48,443	$4,036	$931	$23.29
Barrow, AK	$47,412	$3,951	$911	$22.79
Belmont, MA	$47,195	$3,932	$907	$22.69
Pennington County, SD	$47,166	$3,930	$907	$22.68
Bellerose, NY	$47,105	$3,925	$905	$22.65
Berkeley, CA	$46,600	$3,883	$896	$22.40
Royal City, WA	$46,408	$3,867	$892	$22.31
Andover, MA	$46,266	$3,855	$889	$22.24
Norwood, NY	$45,999	$3,833	$884	$22.11

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Head Cook Jobs in the U.S.

We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Head Cook category.

For example Marriott Hotel Chef jobs pay as much as $41,250 (108.4%) more than the average Head Cook salary of $38,058. If you're qualified, finding work as a Marriott Hotel Chef may help you make more money than that of the average Head Cook position.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Marriott Hotel Chef	$79,308	$6,609	$1,525	$38.13
Banquet Cook	$40,497	$3,374	$778	$19.47
Catering Cook	$38,520	$3,210	$740	$18.52
Cook 1	$36,873	$3,072	$709	$17.73
Restaurant Cook	$27,597	$2,299	$530	$13.27

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Head Cook salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $38,058 per year or $18.30 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

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