2026 Profession Salary Research
Chef Salary After Taxes - All 50 States (2026)
The median salary for chefs in the US is approximately $58,920/year. After federal income tax, FICA (Social Security and Medicare), and state income tax, your actual take-home pay varies significantly by state. Here is the full breakdown for 2026.
Top 10 states for food service workers
Chef take-home pay by state
| Rank | State | Annual gross | Annual net | Monthly net | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | Alaska | $58,920 | $49,522 | $4,127 | 16.0% |
| 1= | Florida | $58,920 | $49,522 | $4,127 | 16.0% |
| 1= | Nevada | $58,920 | $49,522 | $4,127 | 16.0% |
| 1= | New Hampshire | $58,920 | $49,522 | $4,127 | 16.0% |
| 1= | South Dakota | $58,920 | $49,522 | $4,127 | 16.0% |
| 1= | Tennessee | $58,920 | $49,522 | $4,127 | 16.0% |
| 1= | Texas | $58,920 | $49,522 | $4,127 | 16.0% |
| 1= | Vermont | $58,920 | $49,522 | $4,127 | 16.0% |
| 1= | Wyoming | $58,920 | $49,522 | $4,127 | 16.0% |
| 10 | North Dakota | $58,920 | $49,496 | $4,125 | 16.0% |
| 11 | Washington | $58,920 | $49,047 | $4,087 | 16.8% |
| 12 | Ohio | $58,920 | $48,618 | $4,052 | 17.5% |
| 13 | Arizona | $58,920 | $48,344 | $4,029 | 18.0% |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $58,920 | $48,149 | $4,012 | 18.3% |
| 15 | Louisiana | $58,920 | $48,099 | $4,008 | 18.4% |
| 16 | Arkansas | $58,920 | $48,043 | $4,004 | 18.5% |
| 17 | Mississippi | $58,920 | $47,910 | $3,993 | 18.7% |
| 18 | Indiana | $58,920 | $47,814 | $3,984 | 18.8% |
| 19 | Connecticut | $58,920 | $47,796 | $3,983 | 18.9% |
| 20 | Virginia | $58,920 | $47,782 | $3,982 | 18.9% |
| 21 | Iowa | $58,920 | $47,777 | $3,981 | 18.9% |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $58,920 | $47,713 | $3,976 | 19.0% |
| 23 | Missouri | $58,920 | $47,702 | $3,975 | 19.0% |
| 24 | West Virginia | $58,920 | $47,702 | $3,975 | 19.0% |
| 25 | New Mexico | $58,920 | $47,630 | $3,969 | 19.2% |
| 26 | North Carolina | $58,920 | $47,624 | $3,969 | 19.2% |
| 27 | Kentucky | $58,920 | $47,578 | $3,965 | 19.3% |
| 28 | Montana | $58,920 | $47,494 | $3,958 | 19.4% |
| 29 | New Jersey | $58,920 | $47,375 | $3,948 | 19.6% |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $58,920 | $47,364 | $3,947 | 19.6% |
| 31 | Nebraska | $58,920 | $47,337 | $3,945 | 19.7% |
| 32 | Georgia | $58,920 | $47,331 | $3,944 | 19.7% |
| 33 | Idaho | $58,920 | $47,182 | $3,932 | 19.9% |
| 34 | Colorado | $58,920 | $47,172 | $3,931 | 19.9% |
| 35 | District of Columbia | $58,920 | $47,139 | $3,928 | 20.0% |
| 36 | Maine | $58,920 | $47,116 | $3,926 | 20.0% |
| 37 | Maryland | $58,920 | $47,042 | $3,920 | 20.2% |
| 38 | Kansas | $58,920 | $47,026 | $3,919 | 20.2% |
| 39 | Michigan | $58,920 | $47,018 | $3,918 | 20.2% |
| 40 | Utah | $58,920 | $46,900 | $3,908 | 20.4% |
| 41 | California | $58,920 | $46,856 | $3,905 | 20.5% |
| 42 | Delaware | $58,920 | $46,819 | $3,902 | 20.5% |
| 43 | Alabama | $58,920 | $46,816 | $3,901 | 20.5% |
| 44 | Massachusetts | $58,920 | $46,676 | $3,890 | 20.8% |
| 45 | Rhode Island | $58,920 | $46,665 | $3,889 | 20.8% |
| 46 | South Carolina | $58,920 | $46,643 | $3,887 | 20.8% |
| 47 | New York | $58,920 | $46,632 | $3,886 | 20.9% |
| 48 | Illinois | $58,920 | $46,606 | $3,884 | 20.9% |
| 49 | Hawaii | $58,920 | $46,484 | $3,874 | 21.1% |
| 50 | Minnesota | $58,920 | $46,324 | $3,860 | 21.4% |
| 51 | Oregon | $58,920 | $45,099 | $3,758 | 23.5% |
Calculate your exact Chef take-home pay ->
Start with the highest take-home states for this median salary.
City salary pages for Chef
These pages keep the profession salary benchmark fixed and swap in each city's tax context. That gives movers and job seekers a city-first way to compare the same chef salary across the 41 metro pages ExactTakeHome currently publishes.
- Chef salary in San Francisco
- Chef salary in Los Angeles
- Chef salary in Seattle
- Chef salary in Austin
- Chef salary in Dallas
- Chef salary in Chicago
- Chef salary in Boston
- Chef salary in Philadelphia
- Chef salary in Washington D.C.
- Chef salary in Denver
- Chef salary in Phoenix
- Chef salary in Miami
- Chef salary in Atlanta
- Chef salary in Nashville
- Chef salary in Portland
- Chef salary in Minneapolis
- Chef salary in San Diego
- Chef salary in Las Vegas
- Chef salary in Raleigh
- Chef salary in Charlotte
- Chef salary in Sacramento
- Chef salary in Salt Lake City
- Chef salary in Kansas City
- Chef salary in St. Louis
- Chef salary in Baltimore
- Chef salary in Indianapolis
- Chef salary in Columbus
- Chef salary in Louisville
- Chef salary in Richmond
- Chef salary in Tucson
- Chef salary in Albuquerque
- Chef salary in Oklahoma City
- Chef salary in Memphis
- Chef salary in New Orleans
- Chef salary in Hartford
- Chef salary in Omaha
- Chef salary in Buffalo
- Chef salary in Providence
- Chef salary in Boise
- Chef salary in New York City
- Chef salary in San Antonio
Median salary based on BLS Occupational Employment Statistics approximations. Calculations use IRS Publication 15-T 2026 tables, FICA rates (SS 6.20% on wages up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%), and each state's official withholding methodology. Single filing status, biweekly pay, no pre-tax deductions.
Cite This Study
APA:
ExactTakeHome Team. (2026). Chef Salary After Taxes - All 50 States (2026). ExactTakeHome.
https://exacttakehome.com/research/salary-by-profession/chef/
BibTeX:
@misc{exacttakehome2026chefsalary,
title = {Chef Salary After Taxes - All 50 States (2026)},
author = {{ExactTakeHome Team}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://exacttakehome.com/research/salary-by-profession/chef/},
note = {Accessed June 2026}
}Chef salary after taxes questions
How much does a Chef take home after taxes?
A Chef earning the median salary of $58,920/year takes home approximately $49,522 per year on average across the best states, after federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax.
What state is best for Chef take-home pay?
Alaska. A Chef earning $58,920/year takes home $49,522/year ($4,127/month) in Alaska, compared to the national high of $49,522/year.
How much do chefs pay in taxes?
At a median salary of $58,920, a Chef pays approximately $11,162 in total taxes per year on average, including federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. State income tax varies significantly.
Is Chef salary taxed differently in different states?
Yes. States like Alaska and Florida have no state income tax, while states like Oregon have higher effective tax rates. The difference in annual take-home pay between the best and worst states is $4,423 for a Chef earning $58,920.
Take-Home Pay for Chef by State (2026)
Click any state to see the exact after-tax take-home pay for a Chef in that state, calculated using 2026 IRS Publication 15-T withholding rates.