Chefs and Head Cooks Salary
Chefs and Head Cooks in Longview-Kelso, WA make a median of $63,080 a year, or about $30.33 an hour. The range runs from $48K at the entry level to $80K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.55), that's roughly $64,664 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,451/month, about 33.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $63K get you in Longview-Kelso?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Longview-Kelso’s Regional Price Parity (97.55). 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 Longview-Kelso
Chefs and head cooks pay in Longview-Kelso tracks closely to the national median, $63K locally vs. $62K nationwide, a 1% difference. Rent runs $1,451/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 33% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 97.55) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for chefs and head cooks in metros near Longview-Kelso, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | $80K | $72K |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley | $72K | $71K |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | $72K | $70K |
| Bellingham | $70K | $68K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Longview-Kelso, WA
Entry-level chefs and head cooks (10th percentile) start around $48K. Mid-career wages sit at $63K. Top earners bring in $80K or more, a $32K 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 |
| Alaska | $52K | -16% | 680 |
| Indiana | $52K | -16% | 1,940 |
| 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 states
Track chefs and head cooks salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a chefs and head cook afford a 2BR apartment alone in Longview-Kelso?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $63K, rent takes 33% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,451/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,300/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 Longview-Kelso?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new chefs and head cooks typically earn — is $48K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,871/month. At HUD’s $1,451/month FMR, rent would take 51% 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 Longview-Kelso?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $63K locally vs. $62K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Longview-Kelso compare to the national average for chefs and head cooks?
Longview-Kelso pays $63K median vs. the U.S. average of $62K — that’s +1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.55), the purchasing-power equivalent is $65K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do chefs and head cooks make in Longview-Kelso, WA?
The median is $63,080 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $47,850, and experienced chefs and head cooks can clear $79,570. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $63K enough to live in Longview-Kelso?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,394/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,451/month, which eats 33% 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 Longview-Kelso?
Longview-Kelso has a Regional Price Parity of 97.55 (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 $64,664 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.