Chefs and Head Cooks vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: $62K vs $44K Median Pay

Chefs and Head Cooks vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: what changes?

Consider Chefs and Head Cooks if you want to direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. Consider First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers if you would rather directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Chefs and Head Cooks (5 years or more) and First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Chefs and Head Cooks and First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Chefs and Head Cooks

National median pay (2025): $62,470
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: 5 years or more
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 25,200

Know before you choose

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Chefs and Head Cooks brief

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

National median pay (2025): $44,080
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 171,500

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers brief

How the national numbers differ

Chefs and Head Cooks has the edge on median pay

Chefs and Head Cooks is at $62,470, compared with $44,080 for First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers.

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on annual openings

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers is at 171,500 annual openings, compared with 25,200 annual openings for Chefs and Head Cooks.

Typical preparation differs.

Chefs and Head Cooks: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: 5 years or more First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Chefs and Head Cooks has the edge on projected growth

Chefs and Head Cooks is at 6.6% projected growth, compared with 5.4% projected growth for First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers.

67.9/ 100

Chefs and Head Cooks

64.5/ 100

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Chefs and Head Cooks vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

Dimension	Chefs and Head Cooks	First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
Median pay (2025)	$62,470	$44,080
Pay percentile	52.2 percentile	16.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	6.6%	5.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	25,200	171,500
2025 employment	220,300	1,236,400
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: 5 years or more	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	Prior related experience: 5 years or more.	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Chefs and Head Cooks brief Read First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers brief

Chefs and Head Cooks vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Chefs and Head Cooks

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

How the national numbers differ

Chefs and Head Cooks has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on annual openings

Typical preparation differs.

Chefs and Head Cooks has the edge on projected growth

Chefs and Head Cooks vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

Try another comparison

Chefs and Head Cooks vs Cooks, Private Household

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers vs Cooks, Private Household