Birmingham, AL · SOC 35-1011

Chefs and Head Cooks in the Birmingham Metro

Compiled by WageDex

Metro area salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025)

Geography used: wage and employment figures cover the full Birmingham, AL BLS wage area, not only its central city; the comparison figure is the United States national estimate. Verify with the BLS OEWS source tables.

Median Salary

$62,760

per year in the Birmingham metro

same as

National Median

$62,470

per year nationally

Hourly Rate

$30.17/hr

median hourly

Employment

240

jobs in the Birmingham metro

The Birmingham pay distribution spans from $46,900 at the 10th percentile to $91,080 at the 90th, a 1.9× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $52,630 and the 75th at $78,350, so half of Birmingham-based chefs and head cooks earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Birmingham, AL covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide AL estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.

Salary Range in the Birmingham Metro

Annual Salary Distribution

10th$46,900

25th$52,630

Median$62,760

75th$78,350

90th$91,080

Top Paying Jobs in Birmingham

1. General Internal Medicine Physicians $334,100 2. Physicians, All Other $237,040 3. Pediatricians, General Small sample $189,650 4. Nurse Anesthetists $175,850 5. Lawyers $170,230 6. Podiatrists Small sample $169,780 7. Chief Executives $167,080 8. Architectural and Engineering Managers $166,670 9. Optometrists $162,890 10. Compensation and Benefits Managers Small sample $156,710

Small sample marks a row whose BLS estimate rests on fewer than 100 workers. It is still a published figure, but BLS reports more sampling error for cells this small: the median relative standard error of the mean wage is 3.4% under 100 workers against 2.1% at 100 or more (May 2025 metro estimates). Small gaps in rank between neighbouring rows may not be meaningful.

Similar Occupations in Birmingham

Other roles inside the Birmingham, AL MSA from the same SOC major group.

Bartenders

in Birmingham

Cooks, All Other

in Birmingham

Cooks, Fast Food

in Birmingham

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria

in Birmingham

Cooks, Private Household

in Birmingham

Compare Chefs and Head Cooks against another occupation → ← National Chefs and Head Cooks salary Chefs and Head Cooks in AL →

How much do Chefs and Head Cooks make in the Birmingham metro area?

How much do Chefs and Head Cooks make in the Birmingham metro area? ▼

The median annual salary for Chefs and Head Cooks in Birmingham, AL is $62,760 ($30.17/hour). The salary range spans from $46,900 at the 10th percentile to $91,080 at the 90th percentile.

How does Chefs and Head Cooks pay in the Birmingham metro compare nationally? ▼

Chefs and Head Cooks pay in Birmingham, AL is same as the national median of $62,470. There are approximately 240 Chefs and Head Cooks jobs in this metro area.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage figures are computed directly from BLS OEWS data for the full Birmingham, AL wage area. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2025.