Chefs and Head Cooks in the El Paso Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Chefs and Head Cooks pay in El Paso, TX at a median of $43,020 per year ($20.69/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 31% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 320 chefs and head cooks are employed across the El Paso MSA in SOC 35-1011.

The El Paso pay distribution spans from $29,350 at the 10th percentile to $74,130 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 $35,330 and the 75th at $59,900, so half of El Paso-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 El Paso, TX 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 TX estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.