Chefs and Head Cooks Salary in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the median annual wage for Chefs and Head Cooks in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL is $58,240. BLS estimates approximately 1,720 people work in this occupation in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL is 6.8% below the national median ($62,470).
Salary Distribution
Not everyone earns the median. Percentile wages show the range of pay within this occupation.
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,720 | $19.09 |
| 25th percentile | $44,790 | $21.54 |
| Median (50th) | $58,240 | $28.00 |
| 75th percentile | $72,300 | $34.76 |
| 90th percentile | $87,730 | $42.18 |
Data Reliability
BLS OEWS is a survey, not a full census — every estimate carries a margin of error. The relative standard error (RSE) below is BLS’s own measure of how much an estimate could vary; lower is more precise.
- Wage estimate
- RSE 4.7% — Very reliable
- Employment estimate
- RSE 28.4% — Low reliability
Where Does Your Salary Fall?
Enter an annual salary to see roughly where it falls among reported wages for this occupation, based on the percentile points above.
Concentration
- Jobs per 1,000
- 1.189
- Location quotient
- 0.92
Cost-of-Living Adjusted Salary
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL’s regional price level is above the national average (index 100.89, where 100 = U.S. average). Adjusted for that, the median salary has the purchasing power of $57,726 at the national price level.
This is a Career Atlas USA calculation based on BLS wage data and BEA Regional Price Parities. It is not a separate BLS wage estimate. Wage data: May 2025. Cost-of-living data: 2024.
Sources
Wage data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — May 2025 (release 25).
Figures shown as “Not available” reflect wages the source does not publish (e.g. suppressed for reliability), not zero.