Chefs: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time chefs in the UK earned a median £30,010 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 23% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (105th from the bottom).
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £25,894 and £36,126.
Median full-time pay: women £27,935 a year, men £30,934 a year.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 40 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
About 70% of the roughly 201,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 46.4% (from £20,493), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 222,700 people in this line of work, 21% of them in London.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £21,588 | £460.60 | £12.35 | £11,698 | £229.70 | £12.21 |
| 20th percentile | £24,652 | £510.40 | £12.96 | £14,701 | £306.20 | £12.46 |
| 25th percentile | £25,894 | £534.60 | £13.21 | £17,587 | £377.90 | £12.60 |
| 30th percentile | £26,478 | £555.60 | £13.50 | £20,079 | £423.40 | £12.92 |
| 40th percentile | £28,277 | £582.70 | £14.00 | £23,887 | £500.00 | £13.49 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £30,010 | £610.80 | £14.64 | £26,531 | £554.20 | £14.00 |
| 60th percentile | £32,148 | £645.80 | £15.33 | £29,393 | £593.30 | £14.78 |
| 70th percentile | £34,390 | £693.50 | £16.30 | £31,579 | £636.50 | £15.62 |
| 75th percentile | £36,126 | £726.30 | £16.84 | £33,245 | £664.90 | £16.17 |
| 80th percentile | £38,258 | £757.90 | £17.67 | £35,114 | £703.90 | £16.82 |
| 90th percentile | – | £858.20 | £19.54 | £40,597 | £807.20 | £19.04 |
| Mean | £31,213 | £642.80 | £15.47 | £26,301 | £534.40 | £15.17 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £20,493 | £410.70 | £9.79 | £17,958 | £344.90 | 183 |
| 2022 revised | £23,797 | £484.30 | £11.41 | £20,743 | £435.00 | 197 |
| 2023 revised | £26,425 | £528.00 | £12.73 | £22,905 | £479.00 | 198 |
| 2024 revised | £28,349 | £576.20 | £13.73 | £25,577 | £517.80 | 208 |
| 2025 provisional | £30,010 | £610.80 | £14.64 | £26,531 | £554.20 | 201 |
Chefs by region
UK: 222,700 (± 18,300), April 2025 to March 2026. 1 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| London | 46,800* | ± 11,100 |
| Scotland | 24,500* | ± 5,700 |
| East of England | 21,900* | ± 6,400 |
| West Midlands | 21,800* | ± 6,100 |
| South West | 21,300* | ± 5,300 |
| North West | 21,000* | ± 5,500 |
| South East | 19,200* | ± 5,500 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 13,900* | ± 4,400 |
| East Midlands | 13,400* | ± 4,800 |
| Wales | 9,700* | ± 2,800 |
| North East | 7,400* | ± 2,700 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What chefs do
Chefs plan menus and prepare, or oversee the preparation of food in hotels, restaurants, clubs, private households and other establishments. (ONS SOC 2020, 5434)
Also covers: chef, chef-manager, food stylist, head chef, pastry chef, chef manager, commis chef, development chef, private chef, sous chef, chef de cuisine and chef de partie.
- Requisitions or purchases and examines foodstuffs from suppliers to ensure quality
- Plans menus, prepares, seasons and cooks foodstuffs or oversees their preparation and monitors the quality of finished dishes
- Supervises, organises and instructs kitchen staff and manages the whole kitchen or an area of the kitchen
- Ensures relevant hygiene and health and safety standards are maintained within the kitchen
- Plans and co-ordinates kitchen work such as fetching, clearing and cleaning of equipment and utensils
There are no formal academic requirements. Training is provided Off and on-the-job. NVQs/ SVQs, BTEC Certificates and Diplomas and foundation degrees are available. Apprenticeships are also available. Courses are also run by private cookery schools.
Related
Food preparation and hospitality trades (median £29,376) · Fishmongers and poultry dressers · Cooks · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026