Chefs and Head Cooks Salary
Chefs and Head Cooks in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA make a median of $59,690 a year, or about $28.7 an hour. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $90K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.65), that's roughly $60,507 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,493/month, about 37.4% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $60K actually covers in Harrisburg-Carlisle, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Harrisburg-Carlisle’s Regional Price Parity (98.65). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About chefs and head cooks
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What this looks like in Harrisburg-Carlisle
Chefs and head cooks pay in Harrisburg-Carlisle tracks closely to the national median, $60K locally vs. $62K nationwide, a 4% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,493/month, which is 37.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.65) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for chefs and head cooks in metros near Harrisburg-Carlisle, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $66K | $64K |
| Pittsburgh | $66K | $70K |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton | $63K | $63K |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre | $61K | $65K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
Entry-level chefs and head cooks (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $60K. Top earners bring in $90K or more, a $55K spread from bottom to top.
Chefs and Head Cooks pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Chefs and Head Cooks salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $80K | +28% | 740 |
| Hawaii | $77K | +24% | 1,240 |
| District of Columbia | $76K | +22% | 2,020 |
| Washington | $76K | +22% | 5,320 |
| North Dakota | $75K | +20% | 100 |
| New Jersey | $74K | +19% | 9,100 |
| Wyoming | $73K | +17% | 240 |
| South Carolina | $72K | +15% | 2,650 |
| New York | $71K | +13% | 17,430 |
| Tennessee | $70K | +12% | 3,820 |
| Massachusetts | $70K | +11% | 6,000 |
| Georgia | $66K | +6% | 3,680 |
| Vermont | $65K | +5% | 610 |
| Colorado | $65K | +5% | 3,970 |
| California | $65K | +3% | 31,670 |
| Missouri | $64K | +3% | 1,750 |
| Connecticut | $64K | +3% | 3,080 |
| Pennsylvania | $64K | +2% | 9,170 |
| Oregon | $64K | +2% | 2,510 |
| New Hampshire | $63K | +1% | 1,170 |
| Virginia | $63K | +1% | 3,600 |
| Minnesota | $63K | +0% | 1,730 |
| Alabama | $62K | -0% | 1,000 |
| Nevada | $62K | -0% | 3,940 |
| New Mexico | $62K | -0% | 770 |
| Maryland | $62K | -1% | 3,220 |
| Delaware | $61K | -2% | 590 |
| Wisconsin | $61K | -2% | 1,860 |
| North Carolina | $61K | -2% | 4,920 |
| West Virginia | $61K | -2% | 350 |
| Nebraska | $61K | -3% | 540 |
| Michigan | $60K | -4% | 5,360 |
| Arizona | $60K | -4% | 4,080 |
| Utah | $59K | -5% | 1,740 |
| Illinois | $59K | -6% | 8,290 |
| Oklahoma | $59K | -6% | 1,430 |
| Kansas | $58K | -7% | 860 |
| Florida | $58K | -7% | 19,670 |
| Montana | $57K | -8% | 720 |
| Maine | $57K | -9% | 1,250 |
| Texas | $56K | -10% | 13,270 |
| Mississippi | $55K | -12% | 840 |
| Ohio | $54K | -14% | 4,000 |
| Indiana | $52K | -16% | 1,940 |
| Alaska | $52K | -16% | 680 |
| Idaho | $52K | -17% | 550 |
| South Dakota | $48K | -22% | 300 |
| Kentucky | $48K | -23% | 1,790 |
| Iowa | $48K | -23% | 1,640 |
| Arkansas | $46K | -26% | 880 |
| Louisiana | $46K | -27% | 1,990 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a chefs and head cook afford a 2BR apartment alone in Harrisburg-Carlisle?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $60K, rent takes 37.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,493/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for chefs and head cooks in Harrisburg-Carlisle?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new chefs and head cooks typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,425/month. At HUD’s $1,493/month FMR, rent would take 62% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is chefs and head cook a high-paying job in Harrisburg-Carlisle?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $60K locally vs. $62K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does Harrisburg-Carlisle compare to the national average for chefs and head cooks?
Harrisburg-Carlisle pays $60K median vs. the U.S. average of $62K — that’s -4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.65), the purchasing-power equivalent is $61K — below the national median.
How much do chefs and head cooks make in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA?
The median is $59,690 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,020, and experienced chefs and head cooks can clear $89,570. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $60K enough to live in Harrisburg-Carlisle?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,014/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,493/month, which eats 37.2% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a chefs and head cooks salary go in Harrisburg-Carlisle?
Harrisburg-Carlisle has a Regional Price Parity of 98.65 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median chefs and head cooks salary is worth about $60,507 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do chefs and head cooks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.