BLS metro-level wage data places Chefs and Head Cooks pay in Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT at a median of $62,220 per year ($29.91/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $62,470, Norwich-New London-Willimantic pays same as, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 330 chefs and head cookss are employed across the Norwich-New London-Willimantic MSA in SOC 35-1011.

The Norwich-New London-Willimantic pay distribution spans from $43,470 at the 10th percentile to $98,170 at the 90th — a 2.3× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $48,860 and the 75th at $77,090, so half of Norwich-New London-Willimantic-based chefs and head cookss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide CT data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.