How much do Chefs and Head Cooks make in Columbia, MO?

Percentile spread

For Chefs and Head Cooks, the published 10th percentile is $36,750 and the 90th percentile is $83,920. The difference is $47,170, which is 89.2% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $45,190 to the 75th at $70,400, covers $25,210.

The mean annual wage is $59,310, which sits above the median of $52,870. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Columbia, MO median is 15.4% lower than the national median of $62,470 for Chefs and Head Cooks. In 2024 national prices the local median is $59,114, which is 5.4% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 18% lower than the Missouri median of $64,480.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Columbia, MO is 89.438, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $52,870 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Chefs and Head Cooks at $59,114 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

8 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Chefs and Head Cooks. Columbia, MO ranks 5th of 9 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Kansas City, MO-KS is 100 miles away, with a median of $64,010 and employment of 890. That median is 21.1% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $69,168, against $59,114 here.
• Springfield, MO is 117 miles away, with a median of $67,460 and employment of 80. That median is 27.6% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $76,153, against $59,114 here.
• St. Louis, MO-IL is 122 miles away, with a median of $64,480 and employment of 1,030. That median is 22% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $67,811, against $59,114 here.

Employment share

Chefs and Head Cooks accounts for 0.06% of wage-and-salary employment in Columbia, MO (60 of 107,680). Nationally the occupation is 0.13% of employment (200,040 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.43 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.