Chefs and Head Cooks in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Chefs and Head Cooks pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA at a median of $44,610 per year ($21.45/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 29% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 60 chefs and head cooks are employed across the Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA in SOC 35-1011.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls pay distribution spans from $34,430 at the 10th percentile to $69,220 at the 90th, a 2.0× 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 $41,280 and the 75th at $60,070, so half of Waterloo-Cedar Falls-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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 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 IA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.