Culinary Arts
Personal & Culinary Services · federal classification: Culinary Arts and Related Services
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $32,240 | $23,529 to $37,522 | 93 | 31% |
| Associate's Degree | $38,274 | $34,592 to $41,894 | 110 | 70% |
| Bachelor's Degree | $48,094 | $42,652 to $52,058 | 13 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +6% (2024 to 2034), about 789,200 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooks, Restaurant | $36,830 | +14.9% | 250,700 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $42,010 | +6% | 183,900 |
| Bartenders | $33,530 | +5.9% | 129,600 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $36,450 | +2% | 69,700 |
| Food Service Managers | $65,310 | +6.4% | 42,000 |
| Bakers | $36,650 | +5.6% | 39,900 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.