Chefs and Head Cooks pay in Texas
$59,350avg. a year
$28.53 an hour · 13,270 employed
Chefs and Head Cooks in Texas earn an average of $59,350 a year. That is $7,350 (11%) less than the U.S. average of $66,700. The best-paying metro area is Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX at $68,120.
$56,080Median pay
$28.53Average hourly
+4%Avg. pay since 2020
#41Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying Texas metro areas
Average pay for chefs and head cooks by metro area. Swipe to see all 23.
11,710 jobs
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
$68,120
$32.75 an hour
23,550 jobs
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$66,880
$32.15 an hour
3100 jobs
Midland, TX
$60,410
$29.04 an hour
4120 jobs
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
$60,090
$28.89 an hour
5100 jobs
Lubbock, TX
$58,230
$27.99 an hour
670 jobs
Odessa, TX
$56,640
$27.23 an hour
7170 jobs
College Station-Bryan, TX
$56,540
$27.19 an hour
81,260 jobs
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
$56,170
$27.01 an hour
93,610 jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$54,810
$26.35 an hour
10110 jobs
Killeen-Temple, TX
$53,770
$25.85 an hour
1150 jobs
Texarkana, TX-AR
$53,490
$25.72 an hour
1290 jobs
Tyler, TX
$52,950
$25.46 an hour
1390 jobs
Longview, TX
$52,050
$25.02 an hour
14110 jobs
Waco, TX
$51,750
$24.88 an hour
15150 jobs
Corpus Christi, TX
$51,320
$24.67 an hour
1660 jobs
Abilene, TX
$50,880
$24.46 an hour
1780 jobs
Amarillo, TX
$50,810
$24.43 an hour
1850 jobs
San Angelo, TX
$49,940
$24.01 an hour
1960 jobs
Laredo, TX
$49,820
$23.95 an hour
2040 jobs
Sherman-Denison, TX
$49,260
$23.68 an hour
21320 jobs
El Paso, TX
$49,190
$23.65 an hour
22120 jobs
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
$49,040
$23.58 an hour
23230 jobs
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
$45,900
$22.07 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Chefs and Head Cooks pay in Texas, charted
Pay over time
Texas, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Texas chefs and head cooks work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · Texas highlighted · tap a state
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Under $60k$60k–$66k$66k–$70k$70k+Texas
Texas vs. neighbors
Average pay, May 2025
| Area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $66,700 | $32.07 |
| Texas | $59,350 | $28.53 |
| New Mexico | $67,080 | $32.25 |
| Oklahoma | $57,190 | $27.49 |
| Arkansas | $53,820 | $25.87 |
| Louisiana | $52,820 | $25.40 |
Related jobs in Texas
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$41,100
- Fast Food and Counter Workers$27,750
- Waiters and Waitresses$29,750
- Cooks, Restaurant$33,370
- Food Preparation Workers$32,120
- Bartenders$32,640
Average pay, Texas, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do chefs and head cooks make in Texas?
The average is $59,350 a year, and the median is $56,080. That is $7,350 (11%) less than the U.S. average of $66,700.
What is the hourly wage in Texas?
$28.53 an hour on average; the median is $26.96.
Where in Texas do they earn the most?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX ($68,120), followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX ($66,880). The lowest average among 23 metro areas with data is McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX ($45,900).
How does Texas rank?
Texas ranks #41 of 51 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 35-1011. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national chefs and head cooks page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.