MORGANTOWN — The wage gap between the salaries of chefs and head cooks in West Virginia are nearly 30% higher than what the average wage for all occupations in the state, the second-highest wage gap in the country, a national survey said.
Using data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, chefspencil.com, a culinary industry web site, said chefs and head cooks in the Mountain State make $54,500 annually. This is 29% higher than the average wage of $42,370 for all occupations in the state. It is also the 13th highest average salary of the 50 states.
“Possibly one of the biggest surprises in our analysis, West Virginia offers great salaries for chefs and head cooks compared to local wages,” said the survey, also noting living costs in the state are well below the national average.
The biggest salary gap was found in Hawaii, 41%. Chefs and head cooks earn $74,510, while the salary for all occupations averaged $52,900. Rounding out the top 10 in the salary gaps are at 3rd Mississippi, with an average of $48,330 and a gap of 23%; 4th, Nevada, $46,170, a 22% gap; 5th, New Jersey, $70,260, 21% gap; 6th, Kentucky, $50,930, 18% gap, and seventh, Missouri, $54,300, 17%.
Rounding out the top 10 are South Dakota at 8th with an average salary of $48,280 and a gap of 16%; 9th Pennsylvania, $57,630 and a 15% difference, and Florida, $52,350 and a difference of 14%, the survey said.
Not surprisingly, the District of Columbia is not a good place for chefs and head cooks to practice their trade.
The average wage is $65,780 which is 25% lower than the average wage of $87,920 for all occupations. Ohio ranked second in the bottom 10 in salary discrepancies with an average chef and head cook salary of $41,070, 15% less than what the average worker makes, while California was third with an average wage of $51,400, a difference of 13%.
Arizona was 4th at $43,240, 12% lower than the average wage. That state also ranks 6th in the U.S. in wages paid to chefs and cooks. Massachusetts was 5th on the list with an average wage of $56,330, 12% less than the typical salary; Alaska, 6th at $51,990, 11% less. Idaho, the worst paying state in the U.S. for paying chefs and cooks, came in at 7th at $38,590, 11% less. Also, the survey said chefs and cooks in Idaho are paid 26% less than the national average.
The final three states on the survey for not paying chefs and cooks comparable wages; Kansas, 8th, $40,510, 11% less than the average worker’s salary. Oregon, 9th, $46,790, a 10% difference, and finally Maryland, $53,040, a 10% difference.
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