What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Prep Chef Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Prep Chef in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Full Time Private Chef at $57,758 (177.0%) above Prep Chef. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Full Time Private Chef $90,386 $7,532 $1,738 $43.45 Banquet Chef $68,390 $5,699 $1,315 $32.88 Pastry Sous Chef $51,506 $4,292 $990 $24.76 Patina Restaurant Group $47,783 $3,981 $918 $22.97 Catering Staff $30,959 $2,579 $595 $14.88

What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Prep Chef?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Prep Chef jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Calhoun City, MS (62.0% above average), followed by Cupertino, CA and Berkeley, CA. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Calhoun City, MS $52,856 $4,404 $1,016 $25.41 Cupertino, CA $40,255 $3,354 $774 $19.35 Berkeley, CA $39,952 $3,329 $768 $19.21 Aspen, CO $39,438 $3,286 $758 $18.96 Grand Ronde, OR $39,254 $3,271 $754 $18.87 Santa Monica, CA $39,125 $3,260 $752 $18.81 Sunnyvale, CA $38,818 $3,234 $746 $18.66 Santa Clara, CA $38,533 $3,211 $741 $18.53 San Francisco, CA $38,444 $3,203 $739 $18.48 Mammoth Lakes, CA $38,378 $3,198 $738 $18.45

Prep Chef

Prep Chef Salary

Q: How much does a Prep Chef make?

The average annual pay for a prep chef in the United States is $32,628 a year — that works out to approximately $15.69 an hour. The middle 80% of Prep Chefs earn between $25,000 (10th percentile) and $40,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

$19.5K

$32.5K

$42.5K

$32,628

/year

$15.69

/hour

Prep Chef Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$32,628

Columbus

Ohio

$31,516

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How much does a Prep Chef make?

As of Aug 12, 2026, the average annual pay for a Prep Chef in the United States is $32,628 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $15.69 an hour. This is the equivalent of $627/week or $2,719/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $42,500 and as low as $19,500, the majority of Prep Chef salaries currently range between $28,500 (25th percentile) to $36,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $40,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Prep Chef varies greatly (by as much as 7500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Prep Chef in your area makes on average $31,516 per year, or $1,112 (3.408%) less than the national average annual salary of $32,628. Ohio ranks number 38 out of 50 states nationwide for Prep Chef salaries.

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

Find your next high paying job as a Prep Chef on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Prep Chef Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Prep Chef job is above the national average. Topping the list is Calhoun City, MS, , with Cupertino, CA, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $7,324 (22.4%), and Calhoun City, MS, furthers that trend with another $20,228 (62.0%) above the $32,628 average.

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

Additionally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies as much as 31% between Calhoun City, MS, and Mammoth Lakes, CA, , suggesting a strong potential for positive wage variance in a Prep Chef role. Cost of living should also be factored in when balancing location and salary.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Calhoun City, MS	$52,856	$4,404	$1,016	$25.41
Cupertino, CA	$40,255	$3,354	$774	$19.35
Berkeley, CA	$39,952	$3,329	$768	$19.21
Aspen, CO	$39,438	$3,286	$758	$18.96
Grand Ronde, OR	$39,254	$3,271	$754	$18.87
Santa Monica, CA	$39,125	$3,260	$752	$18.81
Sunnyvale, CA	$38,818	$3,234	$746	$18.66
Santa Clara, CA	$38,533	$3,211	$741	$18.53
San Francisco, CA	$38,444	$3,203	$739	$18.48
Mammoth Lakes, CA	$38,378	$3,198	$738	$18.45

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Prep Chef Jobs in the U.S.

We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Prep Chef category.

For example Full Time Private Chef jobs pay as much as $57,758 (177.0%) more than the average Prep Chef salary of $32,628. If you're qualified, finding work as a Full Time Private Chef may help you make more money than that of the average Prep Chef position.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Full Time Private Chef	$90,386	$7,532	$1,738	$43.45
Banquet Chef	$68,390	$5,699	$1,315	$32.88
Pastry Sous Chef	$51,506	$4,292	$990	$24.76
Patina Restaurant Group	$47,783	$3,981	$918	$22.97
Catering Staff	$30,959	$2,579	$595	$14.88

About Our Data

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

Infographic detailing Prep Chef salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $32,628 per year or $15.69 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

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