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Chefs and Head Cooks: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 35-1011.00 · Culinary Programs
Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Chefs and Head Cooks, trained competency-based, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for CHIEF, COOK (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| CHIEF, COOK | 1053 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Competency-Based (V2): 4,000 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What chefs and head cooks earn, by state
Rhode Island has the highest state median for chefs and head cooks ($79,930) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($30,800), across the 53 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $79,930 | $38.43 | 740 |
| Hawaii | $77,360 | $37.19 | 1,240 |
| District of Columbia | $76,420 | $36.74 | 2,020 |
| Washington | $76,010 | $36.54 | 5,320 |
| North Dakota | $74,740 | $35.93 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $74,280 | $35.71 | 9,100 |
| Wyoming | $73,170 | $35.18 | 240 |
| South Carolina | $71,860 | $34.55 | 2,650 |
| New York | $70,670 | $33.98 | 17,430 |
| Tennessee | $69,810 | $33.56 | 3,820 |
| Massachusetts | $69,540 | $33.43 | 6,000 |
| Georgia | $66,230 | $31.84 | 3,680 |
| Vermont | $65,440 | $31.46 | 610 |
| Colorado | $65,400 | $31.44 | 3,970 |
| California | $64,500 | $31.01 | 31,670 |
| Missouri | $64,480 | $31.00 | 1,750 |
| Connecticut | $64,310 | $30.92 | 3,080 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $63,960 | $30.75 | 260 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,860 | $30.70 | 9,170 |
| Oregon | $63,600 | $30.58 | 2,510 |
| New Hampshire | $63,400 | $30.48 | 1,170 |
| Virginia | $63,270 | $30.42 | 3,600 |
| Minnesota | $62,600 | $30.10 | 1,730 |
| Alabama | $62,400 | $30.00 | 1,000 |
| Nevada | $62,380 | $29.99 | 3,940 |
| New Mexico | $62,250 | $29.93 | 770 |
| Maryland | $61,590 | $29.61 | 3,220 |
| Delaware | $61,440 | $29.54 | 590 |
| Wisconsin | $61,300 | $29.47 | 1,860 |
| North Carolina | $61,130 | $29.39 | 4,920 |
| West Virginia | $61,100 | $29.38 | 350 |
| Nebraska | $60,510 | $29.09 | 540 |
| Michigan | $60,070 | $28.88 | 5,360 |
| Arizona | $59,890 | $28.79 | 4,080 |
| Utah | $59,060 | $28.39 | 1,740 |
| Illinois | $58,830 | $28.29 | 8,290 |
| Oklahoma | $58,540 | $28.14 | 1,430 |
| Kansas | $58,390 | $28.07 | 860 |
| Florida | $58,240 | $28.00 | 19,670 |
| Montana | $57,470 | $27.63 | 720 |
| Maine | $57,010 | $27.41 | 1,250 |
| Texas | $56,080 | $26.96 | 13,270 |
| Mississippi | $54,850 | $26.37 | 840 |
| Ohio | $53,990 | $25.96 | 4,000 |
| Alaska | $52,190 | $25.09 | 680 |
| Indiana | $52,190 | $25.09 | 1,940 |
| Idaho | $52,000 | $25.00 | 550 |
| South Dakota | $48,470 | $23.30 | 300 |
| Kentucky | $48,070 | $23.11 | 1,790 |
| Iowa | $47,990 | $23.07 | 1,640 |
| Arkansas | $46,170 | $22.20 | 880 |
| Louisiana | $45,570 | $21.91 | 1,990 |
| Puerto Rico | $30,800 | $14.81 | 770 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations · Culinary Programs at schools and training centers
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).