Chefs and Head Cooks Salary in Miami, FL (2024)
Chefs and Head Cooks in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area earn a median of $57,520 per year ($27.65 per hour) based on 6,690 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is -5.7% against the national median of $60,990 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where chefs and head cooks actually sit across the pay range in Miami, FL, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $14.86 | $30,910 | |
| 25th percentile | $16.84 | $35,020 | |
| Median | $27.65 | $57,520 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $36.50 | $75,930 | |
| 90th percentile | $48.35 | $100,570 | |
| Average (mean) | $28.37 | $59,000 |
How Miami, FL compares
The local median of $57,520 runs -5.7% below the US median of $60,990 for this occupation; it pays 20.0% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($47,920); within the metro it ranks 318th of 675 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Miami, FL — this occupation | $57,520 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $60,990 | -5.7% |
| Miami, FL — all occupations | $47,920 | +20.0% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $74,970 | -23.3% |
Miami, FL has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 2.03 means the job is roughly 203% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
Moderate confidence The relative standard error is 8.0%. Treat the headline number as accurate to within roughly 8%, and read the percentiles as a range rather than a precise point.
Ranked 318th of 675 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Miami, FL
To put $57,520 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 318th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Physicists | $219,070 | — |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $204,220 | — |
| Pediatricians, General | $185,730 | 240 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $168,160 | 1,530 |
| Dentists, General | $167,270 | 2,350 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $165,910 | 8,840 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $164,240 | 710 |
| Commercial Pilots | $157,580 | 3,340 |
| Financial Managers | $154,470 | 15,290 |
| Fire Inspectors and Investigators | $149,870 | 1,780 |
Where chefs and head cooks earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $54,160 to $74,970. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $74,970 | 2,680 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $74,640 | 4,020 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $71,600 | 4,490 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $70,090 | 1,980 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $68,260 | 4,480 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $66,860 | 10,250 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $66,560 | 2,600 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $66,550 | 15,560 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $64,920 | 2,230 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $63,570 | 4,470 |
See the full national picture on the Chefs and Head Cooks salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for chefs and head cooks in Miami, FL?
The median annual wage is $57,520, or $28 per hour. That means half of the chefs and head cooks working in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $59,000.
What do the highest and lowest paid chefs and head cooks in Miami, FL earn?
The bottom 10% earn $30,910 or less, while the top 10% earn $100,570 or more — a spread of $69,660 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $35,020 and $75,930.
Is chefs and head cooks pay in Miami, FL above the local average?
Yes, it is 20.0% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $47,920. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Miami, FL pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $57,520 the metro median is 5.7% lower than the US median of $60,990 for chefs and head cooks. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $54,160 to $74,970.
How many chefs and head cooks work in Miami, FL?
BLS counts about 6,690 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 2.40 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. Miami, FL has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 2.03 means the job is roughly 203% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 16.9%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.