Chefs and Head Cooks in the Boise City Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Chefs and Head Cooks pay in Boise City, ID at a median of $47,500 per year ($22.84/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $62,470, the metro estimate is 24% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 270 chefs and head cooks are employed across the Boise City MSA in SOC 35-1011.

The Boise City pay distribution spans from $33,590 at the 10th percentile to $82,450 at the 90th, a 2.5× 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 $42,450 and the 75th at $66,930, so half of Boise City-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 Boise City, ID 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 ID estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.