SOC 35-1011 · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations · May 2025

How much do Chefs and Head Cooks make in Kennewick-Richland, WA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Chefs and Head Cooks in Kennewick-Richland, WA is $73,750. The 10th percentile is $48,220 and the 90th percentile is $88,540. Employment is 100.

Median annual wage

$73,750

10th percentile
$48,220
25th percentile
$54,660
Median
$73,750
75th percentile
$75,580
90th percentile
$88,540
Mean
$69,230

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A scientist working at a laboratory bench
A scientist in a laboratory. Photograph by Mark Shwartz, Stanford ENERGY. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5

Percentile spread

For Chefs and Head Cooks, the published 10th percentile is $48,220 and the 90th percentile is $88,540. The difference is $40,320, which is 54.7% 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 $54,660 to the 75th at $75,580, covers $20,920.

The mean annual wage is $69,230, which sits below the median of $73,750. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Kennewick-Richland, WA median is 18.1% higher than the national median of $62,470 for Chefs and Head Cooks. In 2024 national prices the local median is $73,692, which is 18% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 3% lower than the Washington median of $76,010.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Kennewick-Richland, WA is 100.079, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $73,750 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Chefs and Head Cooks at $73,692 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

11 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Chefs and Head Cooks. Kennewick-Richland, WA ranks 3rd of 12 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).).

  • Walla Walla, WA is 38 miles away, with a median of $68,120 and employment of 40. That median is 7.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $69,144, against $73,692 here.
  • Yakima, WA is 71 miles away, with a median of $62,920 and employment of 80. That median is 14.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $65,854, against $73,692 here.
  • Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA is 108 miles away, with a median of $73,690 and employment of 80. That median is 0.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $70,955, against $73,692 here.

Employment share

Chefs and Head Cooks accounts for 0.08% of wage-and-salary employment in Kennewick-Richland, WA (100 of 129,490). Nationally the occupation is 0.13% of employment (200,040 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.60 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.

Highest-paying jobs in Kennewick-Richland, WA · Chefs and Head Cooks by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Chefs and Head Cooks make in Kennewick-Richland, WA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Chefs and Head Cooks in Kennewick-Richland, WA is $73,750. The 10th percentile is $48,220 and the 90th percentile is $88,540. Employment is 100.

How does that compare with the national median for Chefs and Head Cooks?

The local median is 18.1% higher than the national median of $62,470.

What is Chefs and Head Cooks pay in Kennewick-Richland, WA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Kennewick-Richland, WA is 100.079, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $73,750 is $73,692. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Kennewick-Richland, WA compare with nearby metros for Chefs and Head Cooks?

Walla Walla, WA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 38 miles away, at $68,120. Kennewick-Richland, WA ranks 3rd of 12 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.