How much do Chefs and Head Cooks make in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI?

Percentile spread

For Chefs and Head Cooks, the published 10th percentile is $36,310 and the 90th percentile is $80,410. The difference is $44,100, which is 77.1% 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 $39,470 to the 75th at $67,240, covers $27,770.

The mean annual wage is $57,090, which sits below the median of $57,180. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI median is 8.5% lower than the national median of $62,470 for Chefs and Head Cooks. In 2024 national prices the local median is $61,578, which is 1.4% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 9.6% higher than the Indiana median of $52,190.

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Indiana, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI is 92.858, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $57,180 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Chefs and Head Cooks at $61,578 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

35 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Chefs and Head Cooks. South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI ranks 20th of 36 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).).

• Niles, MI is 32 miles away, with a median of $58,570 and employment of 120. That median is 2.4% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $63,408, against $61,578 here.
• Kalamazoo-Portage, MI is 44 miles away, with a median of $63,050 and employment of 150. That median is 10.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $66,480, against $61,578 here.
• Battle Creek, MI is 66 miles away, with a median of $59,540 and employment of 80. That median is 4.1% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $65,760, against $61,578 here.

Employment share

Chefs and Head Cooks accounts for 0.06% of wage-and-salary employment in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI (80 of 131,670). Nationally the occupation is 0.13% of employment (200,040 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.47 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.