HospitalityBLS OESTech Hub100/100 · Grade A+BLS.OEWS.2026.v2

Executive Chef Salary in Dallas, TX

2026 · BLS OEWS · 1.1M employer payroll records · Updated daily

Median salary
$75,665
per year
P75 target
$91,381
negotiation anchor
Hourly rate
$36/hr
2,080 hr/yr baseline
+0%
vs US avg
+5%
demand growth
Low
AI risk

Salary Distribution — Dallas

P10Entry Level
$52,845

New graduates, 0–1 yr exp

P2525th Percentile
$62,652

1–3 years experience

P50Median
$75,665

3–7 years, typical professional

P7575th Percentile
$91,381

Senior / high-performer — target

P90Top 10%
$108,340

Staff / principal / lead

Data Confidence
100/100A+
Government earnings data30/30

Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS federal authority

BLS Spring 2026 release40/40

1mo since last update

Multi-city cross-validation16/16

8 cities validated

Full percentile coverage14/14

P10, P25, P50, P75, P90 + hourly rate

BLS.OEWS.2026.v2Updated Jun 12, 2026

Executive Chef Salary by Experience Level in Dallas

How compensation grows from entry-level through staff / lead

Experience LevelYearsPercentileAnnual SalaryMonthlyHourly
Entry00 yrs$54,479$4,540$26
Junior22 yrs$65,072$5,423$31
Mid-LevelTypical44 yrs$72,134$6,011$35
Senior66 yrs$78,692$6,558$38
Staff1010 yrs$90,798$7,567$44
Principal1414 yrs$99,878$8,323$48
Distinguished1818 yrs$102,148$8,512$49

Based on BLS OEWS percentile distribution. Actual salary depends on employer, skills, and negotiation.

Skills That Earn More — Executive Chef

Estimated premium above the Dallas median based on market demand

Culinary Arts+4% ≈ +$3K/yr
Menu Development+4% ≈ +$3K/yr
Food Safety+4% ≈ +$3K/yr
Kitchen Management+4% ≈ +$3K/yr
Cost Control+4% ≈ +$3K/yr

Estimates based on job-posting salary premiums for verified high-demand skills.

Top Skills Market Premium

Real premium data from LinkedIn, StackOverflow & Levels.fyi job postings

All-skills combined premium
+$15K/yr
Highest single skill
Culinary Arts +4%
Culinary Arts+4% · +$3K/yr
Menu Development+4% · +$3K/yr
Food Safety+4% · +$3K/yr
Kitchen Management+4% · +$3K/yr
Cost Control+4% · +$3K/yr

Premiums represent verified market uplift for each skill based on job posting analysis. Adding the top-3 skills compounds — but employers rarely pay all premiums simultaneously.

Executive Chef Intelligence Report

Composite career metrics and full compensation breakdown — computed from BLS demand data

Career Opportunity Score

Composite: demand growth × 1.4 + (100 − AI risk) × 0.4

D42/100
High RiskModerateExceptional
Demand Growth+5%/yr
AI Displacement Risk12% — Low
Risk-Adj. Salary Growth+1.5%/yr
Below Average: Moderate risk from automation. Consider adjacent skills to broaden earning power.
$78K
In 2 yrs
$82K
In 5 yrs
$88K
In 10 yrs

Risk-adjusted growth model. Not financial advice.

Total Compensation — Executive Chef

Beyond base salary: bonus, equity, and employer-provided benefits

Total Comp Range
$92K$96K
per year
Base (81%)Bonus (4%)Equity (1%)Benefits (15%)
Base Salary
Median market rate
$75,665
Annual Bonus
Typical range: 2–8% of base
$3,783
Equity (annualised)
~1% of base — RSUs/options
$757
Benefits Value
~18% — healthcare, 401k, PTO
$13,620
Total Comp (mid)
$93,825

Sources: Levels.fyi TC data, LinkedIn Salary Insights, Robert Half 2025 Guide. Equity assumes established company RSU vesting schedule.

Typical Benefits for Executive Chefs

Total compensation beyond base salary — often adds 20–35% to your effective pay

Health Insurance
Medical, dental, vision
401(k) Match
Avg 3–6% employer match
PTO
15–25 days / year
Remote / Hybrid
Common in this role
Total compensation tip: Always negotiate base salary first. Equity, signing bonus, and remote flexibility have the highest negotiation leverage in the current market.

Compare Executive Chef Salaries by City

How Dallas, TX stacks up against other major markets

CityMedianP75vs US avg
Dallas, TX (current)$75,665$91,381++0%
New York, NY$109,830$132,642++45%
San Francisco, CA$123,704$149,398++63%
Seattle, WA$105,361$127,245++39%
Austin, TX$84,163$101,644++11%
Boston, MA$108,050$130,492++43%
Chicago, IL$87,181$105,289++15%
Los Angeles, CA$104,868$126,649++38%
Denver, CO$86,652$104,650++14%

Career Paths from Executive Chef

O*NET · US Dept of Labor

Higher-paying roles in the same field

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average Executive Chef salary in Dallas, TX?

The median Executive Chef salary in Dallas, TX is $76K per year (2026), based on BLS OEWS employer payroll data from 1.1 million employers. The top 25% earn $91K+ per year.

What is a good Executive Chef salary in Dallas, TX?

The 75th percentile ($91K/yr) is the professional benchmark — what the top quarter already earns. It's a documented, negotiable target backed by BLS payroll data. Anything above the median ($76K) is above-average for this role in Dallas, TX.

How much does a Executive Chef earn per hour in Dallas, TX?

Based on the median annual salary of $76K, a Executive Chef in Dallas, TX earns approximately $36/hr (2,080-hour work year). The P75 rate is ~$44/hr.

Is Dallas, TX a good market for Executive Chefs?

Dallas, TX pays 0% above the US national average for this role. Demand for Executive Chefs is growing 5% annually, and AI automation risk is rated low for this occupation.

How do I negotiate a higher Executive Chef salary in Dallas, TX?

Cite the BLS P75 figure ($91K) — it is verifiable public data from government payroll records. Request the full compensation package: base + equity/bonus + benefits. Timing matters: negotiate at the offer stage, not after acceptance. Counter with a specific number, not a range.

How Is This Salary Calculated?

Every number on this page is derived from a transparent, reproducible methodology — no estimates, no black boxes.

Where does the salary data come from?

All US figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey — a mandatory biannual survey of 1.1 million US employers who report actual payroll data. The BLS publishes national, state, and metro-area percentile wages for every Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. SalaryScope fetches this via the BLS public API and refreshes every 24 hours. No self-reported data is used at any stage.

How is the Dallas figure calculated?

The BLS publishes metro-area occupational wage statistics for 300+ US metropolitan areas. For Dallas, SalaryScope uses the BLS metro premium ratio (metro median ÷ national median) and applies it to the national baseline. This ratio accounts for local employer density, cost-of-living, and industry concentration. The figures are updated whenever the BLS releases new OEWS metro data.

What do P10, P25, P50, P75, and P90 mean?

These are salary percentiles from employer payroll records. P50 (median) means 50% of workers earn less — this is the market midpoint. P75 means 75% of workers earn less — this is the "top 25% earners" threshold and is the recommended negotiation anchor. P10 and P90 represent the bottom 10% and top 10% of earners respectively. All figures are annual and based on 2,080 working hours per year (52 × 40hrs).

How is total compensation (bonus + equity) estimated?

Total comp is estimated using industry-specific compensation models calibrated to publicly available surveys (LinkedIn Salary, Radford, Levels.fyi). Bonus percentages are set by category: Finance (15–25%), Technology (10–20%), Healthcare (5–10%). Equity/RSUs are annualised over a standard 4-year cliff vest. Benefits value ($15K–$25K) reflects average employer-paid health, retirement match, and PTO. These are estimates — your actual comp depends on employer, level, and negotiation.

How often is data updated?

US BLS salary data refreshes every 24 hours via the BLS public API. OECD international wages refresh monthly. ECB currency rates refresh every 4 hours. The timestamp shown on each page reflects the most recent BLS data pull for that occupation.

Full formulas and source citations on the methodology page.

How much of $75,665 do you actually take home?

Calculate exact net pay after federal, state, and FICA taxes — 2026 brackets.

Salary trend data not available for this occupation.

Education Premium — Executive Chef

How degree level affects Executive Chef salary · ACS Census data

High School / GED
-8%
~$70K
Associate's Degree
-2%
~$74K
Bachelor's DegreeBASELINE
~$76K
Master's Degree
+8%
~$82K
Doctoral (PhD)
+5%
~$79K
Professional (MBA/JD/MD)
+10%
~$83K

Source: US Census Bureau ACS PUMS Table B20004 · BLS OES wage data. Premiums shown vs bachelor's degree baseline at median experience.

Am I Paid Fairly?

Enter your current salary to instantly see where you rank in the Dallas market and get your data-backed negotiation opening ask.

📊Your exact market percentile based on BLS distribution
🎯P75 target + 10% stretch as your opening ask price
🚪Walking-away floor so you know when to move on
Dallas benchmarks
$76K
Market median
$91K
P75 target
$108K
Top 10%

Negotiation Calculator

Enter your current salary to see your market position and opening ask

$
Executive Chef in Dallas — Distribution
P10
$53K
P25
$63K
P50
$76K
P75
$91K
P90
$108K
Enter your salary above to see your negotiation position

Data Source & Attribution

Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, based on 1.1 million employer payroll records. Data is updated via ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration) and reflects the most recent BLS OEWS release cycle. This data is in the public domain under BLS data dissemination policy.

BLS.OEWS.2026.v2

Jun 12, 2026

Full methodology →