Chefs and Head Cooks in the Paducah Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Chefs and Head Cooks pay in Paducah, KY-IL at a median of $44,720 per year ($21.50/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 28% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 40 chefs and head cooks are employed across the Paducah MSA in SOC 35-1011.

The Paducah pay distribution spans from $34,290 at the 10th percentile to $79,230 at the 90th, a 2.3× 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 $38,410 and the 75th at $58,490, so half of Paducah-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 Paducah, KY-IL 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 KY estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.