Home / Culinary Programs
Culinary arts programs
522 colleges and career schools report culinary programs to IPEDS, with 15,176 completions in 2023-24.
Programs listed
541
all states
Middle program cost
$15,125
$4,371 to $23,165, IPEDS
Middle length
11 months
36 certificates, IPEDS
Median pay
$62,470
chefs and head cooks, BLS May 2025
On state WIOA lists
431
programs, U.S. DOL file
Culinary Programs by state
| State | Programs | Completions, 2023-24 | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 2 | 19 | $52,190 |
| Alabama | 7 | 98 | $62,400 |
| Arkansas | 5 | 169 | $46,170 |
| Arizona | 12 | 385 | $59,890 |
| California | 62 | 1,743 | $64,500 |
| Colorado | 8 | 2,188 | $65,400 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 75 | $64,310 |
| Delaware | 1 | 21 | $61,440 |
| Florida | 50 | 951 | $58,240 |
| Georgia | 19 | 296 | $66,230 |
| Hawaii | 5 | 190 | $77,360 |
| Iowa | 8 | 146 | $47,990 |
| Idaho | 2 | 17 | $52,000 |
| Illinois | 22 | 556 | $58,830 |
| Indiana | 1 | 12 | $52,190 |
| Kansas | 4 | 58 | $58,390 |
| Kentucky | 9 | 246 | $48,070 |
| Louisiana | 10 | 470 | $45,570 |
| Massachusetts | 9 | 93 | $69,540 |
| Maryland | 6 | 94 | $61,590 |
| Maine | 5 | 30 | $57,010 |
| Michigan | 12 | 275 | $60,070 |
| Minnesota | 7 | 52 | $62,600 |
| Missouri | 8 | 76 | $64,480 |
| Mississippi | 11 | 202 | $54,850 |
| Montana | 2 | 5 | $57,470 |
| North Carolina | 26 | 911 | $61,130 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 7 | $74,740 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 41 | $60,510 |
| New Hampshire | 3 | 10 | $63,400 |
| New Jersey | 13 | 192 | $74,280 |
| New Mexico | 8 | 76 | $62,250 |
| Nevada | 2 | 50 | $62,380 |
| New York | 25 | 1,092 | $70,670 |
| Ohio | 13 | 251 | $53,990 |
| Oklahoma | 12 | 365 | $58,540 |
| Oregon | 5 | 47 | $63,600 |
| Pennsylvania | 17 | 177 | $63,860 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 94 | $79,930 |
| South Carolina | 8 | 216 | $71,860 |
| South Dakota | 2 | 10 | $48,470 |
| Tennessee | 9 | 183 | $69,810 |
| Texas | 31 | 1,179 | $56,080 |
| Utah | 8 | 227 | $59,060 |
| Virginia | 13 | 249 | $63,270 |
| Washington | 16 | 224 | $76,010 |
| Wisconsin | 13 | 130 | $61,300 |
| West Virginia | 5 | 39 | $61,100 |
| Wyoming | 2 | 4 | $73,170 |
Programs counts IPEDS schools. Completions: IPEDS, the schools on the state page. Median pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025, annual.
Culinary programs on state WIOA lists: cost and results
| State | Programs | Middle listed cost | Completed | Employed, Q2 | Median quarterly earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 5 | $9,000 | 60% | 85.7% | $5,102 |
| Arkansas | 8 | $6,699 | 32.5% | 56.8% | $6,387 |
| Arizona | 5 | $7,356 | Fewer than 3 report it | 25.4% | $2,316 |
| California | 50 | $1,925 | 89.5% | 81.6% | $8,830 |
| Colorado (DOL data note) | 35 | $6,150 | 30% | 51.9% | $12,358 |
| Delaware | 4 | $15,723 | 100% | Fewer than 3 report it | Fewer than 3 report it |
| Florida | 25 | $4,356 | 63.6% | 57.1% | $6,082 |
| Georgia | 13 | $6,652 | 30.8% | 75% | $5,518 |
| Hawaii | 5 | $6,419 | 41.5% | 79.5% | $6,961 |
| Iowa | 8 | $13,260 | 62.2% | 80% | $5,741 |
| Louisiana (DOL data note) | 10 | $12,666 | 100% | 100% | $4,680 |
| Maine | 4 | $4,896 | 22.7% | 68.2% | $5,794 |
| Michigan | 26 | $4,007 | 40.5% | 71.4% | $6,711 |
| Minnesota | 18 | $6,219 | 41.3% | 73.8% | $6,104 |
| North Carolina | 8 | $4,936 | 37.7% | 79% | $7,420 |
| Nebraska | 5 | $6,720 | 26% | 71.4% | $7,198 |
| Ohio | 19 | $9,365 | 33.3% | 88.2% | $10,204 |
| Tennessee | 6 | $12,500 | 72.5% | 78.9% | $7,596 |
| Texas | 12 | $6,498 | 100% | 64.9% | $6,168 |
| Utah | 7 | $4,024 | 56.5% | Fewer than 3 report it | Fewer than 3 report it |
| Virginia | 11 | $3,800 | 100% | 60% | Fewer than 3 report it |
| Washington | 37 | $10,154 | 70% | 85.7% | $7,653 |
| Wisconsin | 14 | $10,971 | 35.1% | 70% | $5,798 |
States with 3 or more culinary programs on their eligible training provider list and at least one reported result. Completed: of all students who exited. Employed and earnings: the second quarter after exit, from state wage records. Each figure is the middle program of those that report it.
Culinary length and pay in detail
- Program length
- Middle 11 months; half take 9 months to 12 months (36 certificate programs reporting a length to IPEDS). Clock-hour programs: 644 to 1,200 hours, middle 1,000.
- Pay for chefs and head cooks
- $62,470 a year ($30 an hour), national median, May 2025; the lowest-paid tenth earned under $37,900 (BLS OEWS).
- Programs, cost, length and completions: IPEDS complete data files, 2024-25 collection, read October 8, 2026.
- WIOA results: DOL TrainingProviderResults.gov program file (ETA-9171), read October 8, 2026.
- Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025, read October 8, 2026.
Campus groups with culinary programs
- Orange Technical College3 campuses · FL
- Remington College2 campuses · TN, TX
- CET1 campus · CA
- Dorsey College1 campus · MI
- Lincoln College of Technology1 campus · MD
- Lincoln Technical Institute1 campus · CT
- New Mexico State University1 campus · NM
- University of New Mexico1 campus · NM
Campuses offering the program: IPEDS 2024.