Research Chef Salary

$46K

$82K

$133K

$83,794

/year

$40.29

/hour

Research Chef Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$83,794

Columbus

Ohio

$80,936

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    How much does a Research Chef make?

    As of Sep 5, 2026, the average annual pay for a Research Chef in the United States is $83,794 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $40.29 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,611/week or $6,982/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $133,000 and as low as $46,000, the majority of Research Chef salaries currently range between $54,500 (25th percentile) to $117,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $126,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Research Chef varies greatly (by as much as 63000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Research Chef in your area makes on average $80,936 per year, or $2,858 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $83,794. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Research Chef salaries.

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

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

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Research Chef Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Research Chef job is above the national average. Topping the list is Clay, CA, , with Emerald Bay, TX, and Pennington County, SD, close behind in the second and third positions. Pennington County, SD, beats the national average by $22,209 (26.5%), and Clay, CA, furthers that trend with another $27,280 (32.6%) above the $83,794 average.

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

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 11% between Clay, CA, and San Jose, CA, , 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 Research Chef role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Clay, CA

    $111,074

    $53.40

    Emerald Bay, TX

    $108,777

    $52.30

    Pennington County, SD

    $106,003

    $50.96

    Nome, AK

    $103,946

    $49.97

    Berkeley, CA

    $102,600

    $49.33

    Redwood City, CA

    $102,593

    $49.32

    Lawrence, MA

    $102,188

    $49.13

    Sitka, AK

    $100,945

    $48.53

    Brisbane, CA

    $100,870

    $48.50

    San Jose, CA

    $99,208

    $47.70

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

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

    For example Mtsi jobs pay as much as $309,421 (369.3%) more than the average Research Chef salary of $83,794. If you're qualified, finding work as a Mtsi may help you make more money than that of the average Research Chef position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Mtsi

    $393,215

    $189.05

    Ent

    $321,958

    $154.79

    Certified Sous Chef

    $58,998

    $28.36

    Professional Home Organizer

    $43,861

    $21.09

    Pizzaiolo

    $31,705

    $15.24

    About Our Data

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

    Infographic detailing Research Chef salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $83,794 per year or $40.29 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.