Kahului-Wailuku, Lahaina, HI, San Rafael, CA and Nassau County-Suffolk County, NY are the best paying metros for chefs, according to a new study released by culinary website Chef's Pencil.
The average salary for a chef in San Rafael, CA is $65,660. It is by a third higher than the average chef salary in the US, which is reported to be just shy of $50,000.
Only chefs in Hawaii earn more than those in San Rafael ($70,000). On the other hand, chefs and head cooks in a few metropolitan divisions in South Carolina are expecting to earn less than $30,000. Charleston and Spartanburg, SC pay some of the worst chef wages in the country.
Chef wages in Rafael are substantially higher even when compared to statewide average. The average wage for chefs and head cooks in California is roughly $52,000.