Chef in the US

Plans menus, manages kitchen operations, and prepares food in restaurants, hotels, and institutional settings.

BLS 2024 reference median: $58,000 gross. Take-home varies by state — see the state breakdown below.

Frequently asked questions

What is a US chef's take-home pay at the median salary?
The 2024 BLS median chef salary is $58,000 gross. After federal income tax + state income tax (California baseline) + FICA, take-home is $46,916 per year ($3,910 per month, 19.1% effective).
Which US state gives a chef the highest take-home?
Across the 5 currently-supported states, Texas yields the highest net at the chef median ($48,642); Illinois yields the lowest ($45,908) — a $2,734 per-year delta driven entirely by state income tax (federal + FICA are identical).
What is the marginal tax rate on a US chef salary?
At the $58,000 median, the next 100 of gross retains $74 in California — a marginal rate of 25.6%. Marginal rate is what applies to overtime, bonuses, and pre-tax 401(k) reductions.
Where does the US median chef salary come from?
BLS Occupational Employment Statistics May 2024 release. It is a national median — actual salaries vary substantially by metro area (a SF Bay Area chef earns well above the national median; a rural-Midwest one well below). Plug your actual salary into the calculator above; switch the state picker to see the state-specific net.
What is NOT included in this US take-home calculation?
Pre-tax 401(k), HSA, FSA contributions, employer-sponsored health insurance premiums deducted from gross, RSU vesting, and any local/city income tax (NYC, Philadelphia, Detroit, etc.) are not modeled in v1. The calculator assumes the median is base salary, federal + state + FICA only.