Chefs and Head Cooks Salary in Wildwood-The Villages, FL
Chefs and Head Cooks in Wildwood-The Villages, FL make a median of $65,290 a year, or about $31.39 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $87K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 85.42), which stretches that salary to about $76,434 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,328/month, or 29.3% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $65K get you in Wildwood-The Villages?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Wildwood-The Villages’s Regional Price Parity (85.42). 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.
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Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Wildwood-The Villages, FL
Entry-level chefs and head cooks (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $65K. Top earners bring in $87K or more, a $57K spread from bottom to top.
Chefs and Head Cooks pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $81K | +33% | 830 |
| Rhode Island | $79K | +30% | 700 |
| North Dakota | $77K | +26% | 90 |
| District of Columbia | $74K | +21% | 1,940 |
| Massachusetts | $71K | +17% | 5,330 |
| Washington | $70K | +14% | 3,840 |
| New Jersey | $70K | +14% | 6,060 |
| California | $67K | +9% | 26,500 |
| Delaware | $65K | +7% | 490 |
| Wyoming | $65K | +6% | 330 |
| New York | $64K | +5% | 15,420 |
| Vermont | $63K | +4% | 530 |
| Alabama | $63K | +3% | 1,280 |
| Connecticut | $63K | +3% | 3,600 |
| Maryland | $62K | +2% | 3,310 |
| Arizona | $62K | +2% | 3,260 |
| Illinois | $61K | +1% | 5,540 |
| South Carolina | $61K | +0% | 2,000 |
| West Virginia | $61K | -0% | 310 |
| Oregon | $60K | -1% | 3,640 |
| Wisconsin | $60K | -1% | 2,130 |
| North Carolina | $60K | -2% | 4,100 |
| Virginia | $60K | -2% | 3,900 |
| Pennsylvania | $60K | -2% | 7,060 |
| Florida | $60K | -2% | 17,170 |
| Tennessee | $59K | -2% | 2,720 |
| Minnesota | $59K | -3% | 1,630 |
| Missouri | $59K | -3% | 1,590 |
| Nevada | $59K | -4% | 4,560 |
| Michigan | $58K | -4% | 5,310 |
| New Hampshire | $58K | -4% | 1,260 |
| Nebraska | $58K | -4% | 600 |
| Kansas | $58K | -4% | 980 |
| Alaska | $58K | -6% | 780 |
| Indiana | $57K | -6% | 1,140 |
| Ohio | $57K | -7% | 4,040 |
| Maine | $56K | -8% | 1,290 |
| Montana | $56K | -9% | 500 |
| New Mexico | $55K | -10% | 400 |
| Oklahoma | $53K | -13% | 1,210 |
| Georgia | $52K | -15% | 4,390 |
| Texas | $51K | -16% | 16,550 |
| Idaho | $50K | -18% | 420 |
| Arkansas | $49K | -20% | 950 |
| South Dakota | $47K | -24% | 290 |
| Mississippi | $45K | -26% | 950 |
| Utah | $44K | -27% | 1,880 |
| Kentucky | $44K | -27% | 1,860 |
| Iowa | $44K | -28% | 1,500 |
| Louisiana | $38K | -37% | 1,860 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track chefs and head cooks salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Wildwood-The Villages numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
How much do chefs and head cooks make in Wildwood-The Villages, FL?
The median is $65,290 a year, that works out to about $31 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $30,830, and experienced chefs and head cooks can clear $87,420. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $65K enough to live in Wildwood-The Villages?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,526/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,328/month, which eats 29.3% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a chefs and head cooks salary go in Wildwood-The Villages?
Wildwood-The Villages has a Regional Price Parity of 85.42 (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 $76,434 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.