Chefs and Head Cooks Salary in San Francisco, CA (2024)
Chefs and Head Cooks in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earn a median of $71,600 per year ($34.42 per hour) based on 4,490 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +17.4% 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 San Francisco, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.56 | $42,760 | |
| 25th percentile | $27.40 | $57,000 | |
| Median | $34.42 | $71,600 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $39.38 | $81,910 | |
| 90th percentile | $57.21 | $118,990 | |
| Average (mean) | $36.37 | $75,650 |
How San Francisco, CA compares
The local median of $71,600 runs +17.4% above the US median of $60,990 for this occupation; it pays 3.2% less than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($73,960); within the metro it ranks 400th of 681 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA — this occupation | $71,600 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $60,990 | +17.4% |
| San Francisco, CA — all occupations | $73,960 | -3.2% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $74,970 | -4.5% |
At a location quotient of 1.58, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 158% of the national share of these workers.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 4.9%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 400th of 681 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in San Francisco, CA
To put $71,600 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 400th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Managers | $222,840 | 5,160 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $221,810 | 26,640 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $220,330 | 2,960 |
| Lawyers | $215,090 | 16,940 |
| Marketing Managers | $212,520 | 12,820 |
| Podiatrists | $211,750 | 100 |
| Financial Managers | $211,730 | 18,380 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $208,580 | 6,380 |
| Human Resources Managers | $206,420 | 5,890 |
| Dentists, General | $205,380 | 1,680 |
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 San Francisco, CA?
The median annual wage is $71,600, or $34 per hour. That means half of the chefs and head cooks working in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $75,650.
What do the highest and lowest paid chefs and head cooks in San Francisco, CA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $42,760 or less, while the top 10% earn $118,990 or more — a spread of $76,230 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $57,000 and $81,910.
Is chefs and head cooks pay in San Francisco, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 3.2% below the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $73,960. 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 San Francisco, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $71,600 the metro median is 17.4% higher 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 San Francisco, CA?
BLS counts about 4,490 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 1.87 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.58, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 158% of the national share of these workers.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 11.7%). 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.