Which state pays culinary arts associate's graduates the most?

Michigan, where the median program pays its graduates $26,639 in their first year, the highest of 3 state rankings. New York is next, at $26,556.

Which culinary arts associate's program pays the most?

Johnson County Community College in Kansas reports the highest first-year pay of the 78 programs ranked here, $38,977.

How much debt do culinary arts associate's graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $15,750 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 63% of first-year pay.

Highest-Paying Culinary Arts (Associate's) Programs in the US

89 programs report first-year pay
3 state rankings
Associate's in Culinary Arts and Related Services

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median culinary arts associate's program in the US pays its graduates $26,320 in their first year and $33,858 five years after. Michigan has the highest state median ($26,639), and Pennsylvania the lowest ($25,893). The median program leaves its graduates with $15,750 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$26,320Across 89 programs

Median pay after 5 years$33,858Across 140 programs

Median federal debt$15,750Across 63 programs

Debt-to-earnings63%Across 61 programs

All 78 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Johnson County Community CollegeOverland Park, KS · public	$38,977	Not adjusted	$40,068	Not reported	Not reported
2	Cincinnati State Technical and Community CollegeCincinnati, OH · public	$36,330	$39,160	$38,302	$12,145	33%
3	Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton, WI · public	$34,736	Not adjusted	$40,883	$14,234	41%
4	Washtenaw Community CollegeAnn Arbor, MI · public	$33,382	Not adjusted	$31,812	Not reported	Not reported
5	Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAsheville, NC · public	$32,602	$34,563	$33,786	Not reported	Not reported
6	Paul Smiths College of Arts and SciencePaul Smiths, NY · private nonprofit	$32,023	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
7	Salt Lake Community CollegeSalt Lake City, UT · public	$31,788	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
8	Dallas CollegeDallas, TX · public	$31,770	$32,733	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
9	Montgomery County Community CollegeBlue Bell, PA · public	$31,763	Not adjusted	Not reported	$15,417	49%
10	Atlantic Cape Community CollegeMays Landing, NJ · public	$31,639	$29,079	Not reported	$11,000	35%
11	Miami Dade CollegeMiami, FL · public	$31,101	$30,074	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
12	Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-BoulderBoulder, CO · private for-profit	$30,224	$29,329	Not reported	$17,303	57%
13	Northern Wyoming Community College DistrictSheridan, WY · public	$29,544	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
14	YTI Career Institute-YorkYork, PA · private for-profit	$29,494	$30,228	$33,391	$19,222	65%
15	Hillsborough CollegeTampa, FL · public	$29,451	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
16	Eastwick College-HackensackHackensack, NJ · private for-profit	$29,123	Not adjusted	Not reported	$22,522	77%
17	Kennebec Valley Community CollegeFairfield, ME · public	$28,893	$29,771	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
18	Joliet Junior CollegeJoliet, IL · public	$28,252	$28,264	Not reported	$16,375	58%
19	Keiser UniversityFort Lauderdale, FL · private nonprofit	$28,159	$27,229	$32,736	$20,000	71%
20	Culinary InstituteHouston, TX · private for-profit	$28,089	$28,941	$26,286	$27,829	99%
21	Culinary Institute of AmericaHyde Park, NY · private nonprofit	$28,049	Not adjusted	$41,224	$12,000	43%
22	Sinclair Community CollegeDayton, OH · public	$28,037	$30,221	$34,535	Not reported	Not reported
23	Southwestern Oregon Community CollegeCoos Bay, OR · public	$27,855	$26,949	$29,777	$12,000	43%
24	Johnson & Wales University-ProvidenceProvidence, RI · private nonprofit	$27,514	Not adjusted	$36,778	$14,745	54%
25	Schoolcraft Community College DistrictLivonia, MI · public	$27,248	$28,319	$35,743	$15,750	58%
26	Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlotte, NC · public	$27,127	$28,759	$30,521	Not reported	Not reported
27	Utah Valley UniversityOrem, UT · public	$27,056	$27,367	$29,313	Not reported	Not reported
28	College of DuPageGlen Ellyn, IL · public	$26,952	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
29	Texas State Technical CollegeWaco, TX · public	$26,927	$27,743	$33,217	$11,000	41%
30	Des Moines Area Community CollegeAnkeny, IA · public	$26,913	$30,666	$41,811	$11,167	41%
31	Kapiolani Community CollegeHonolulu, HI · public	$26,882	$24,449	$36,477	$10,087	38%
32	Kalamazoo Valley Community CollegeKalamazoo, MI · public	$26,843	$27,898	Not reported	$14,382	54%
33	Ferris StateBig Rapids, MI · public	$26,692	Not adjusted	Not reported	$23,251	87%
34	Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-AustinAustin, TX · private for-profit	$26,613	$27,420	Not reported	$19,682	74%
35	SUNY College of Technology at AlfredAlfred, NY · public	$26,598	$24,646	Not reported	$12,000	45%
36	Northwestern Michigan CollegeTraverse City, MI · public	$26,586	Not adjusted	$38,650	$14,199	53%
37	Niagara County Community CollegeSanborn, NY · public	$26,514	$24,568	$31,183	$12,000	45%
38	Southeast Community College AreaLincoln, NE · public	$26,446	$29,351	$34,047	Not reported	Not reported
39	Houston City CollegeHouston, TX · public	$26,419	$27,220	$22,509	$26,217	99%
40	Pierpont Community and Technical CollegeFairmont, WV · public	$26,399	Not adjusted	$37,821	Not reported	Not reported
41	Saint Louis Community CollegeBridgeton, MO · public	$26,318	$28,979	$35,232	Not reported	Not reported
42	Greenville Technical CollegeGreenville, SC · public	$26,268	$28,019	$31,587	$19,434	74%
43	Hudson County Community CollegeJersey City, NJ · public	$26,170	$24,052	$35,726	$12,900	49%
44	Delaware Technical Community College-TerryDover, DE · public	$26,031	$26,081	$37,199	Not reported	Not reported
45	NorthWest Arkansas Community CollegeBentonville, AR · public	$26,025	$29,935	Not reported	$12,500	48%
46	Tidewater Community CollegeNorfolk, VA · public	$25,938	$25,655	$24,232	$20,275	78%
47	Walnut Hill CollegePhiladelphia, PA · private for-profit	$25,893	$26,537	$38,256	$12,000	46%
48	Ozarks Technical Community CollegeSpringfield, MO · public	$25,879	$28,496	$30,961	$10,501	41%
49	University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical CollegeNorth Little Rock, AR · public	$25,597	$29,443	$31,202	$19,250	75%
50	Milwaukee Area Technical CollegeMilwaukee, WI · public	$25,304	$26,892	$32,428	$19,386	77%
51	Oklahoma State University Institute of TechnologyOkmulgee, OK · public	$25,272	$28,770	$35,970	$12,500	49%
52	Pennsylvania College of TechnologyWilliamsport, PA · public	$25,269	$25,898	$32,090	$16,000	63%
53	Helms CollegeAugusta, GA · private nonprofit	$25,261	$26,233	Not reported	$20,000	79%
54	Valencia CollegeOrlando, FL · public	$25,227	$24,394	$29,578	$17,468	69%
55	Baker CollegeOwosso, MI · private nonprofit	$25,204	$26,195	$37,278	$12,000	48%
56	Hawaii Community CollegeHilo, HI · public	$25,027	Not adjusted	$34,234	Not reported	Not reported
57	National Louis UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$24,786	$24,796	$42,444	$17,500	71%
58	University of Hawaii Maui CollegeKahului, HI · public	$24,669	$22,436	$38,985	Not reported	Not reported
59	Grand Rapids Community CollegeGrand Rapids, MI · public	$24,473	$25,435	$42,557	$15,125	62%
60	Horry-Georgetown Technical CollegeConway, SC · public	$24,466	$26,097	$42,743	$19,500	80%
61	Sullivan UniversityLouisville, KY · private for-profit	$24,292	$26,944	$33,261	$15,265	63%
62	South Texas CollegeMcAllen, TX · public	$24,084	$24,814	$29,888	Not reported	Not reported
63	Western Iowa Tech Community CollegeSioux City, IA · public	$24,061	Not adjusted	Not reported	$12,530	52%
64	ECPI UniversityVirginia Beach, VA · private for-profit	$23,320	$23,065	$33,929	$18,043	77%
65	Central New Mexico Community CollegeAlbuquerque, NM · public	$23,139	$25,093	$27,803	Not reported	Not reported
66	College of Southern NevadaLas Vegas, NV · public	$22,428	$22,433	$36,814	Not reported	Not reported
67	Kirkwood Community CollegeCedar Rapids, IA · public	$21,391	Not adjusted	$40,714	$15,375	72%
68	Miller-Motte College-ChattanoogaChattanooga, TN · private for-profit	$21,014	$22,874	$31,773	$19,337	92%
69	Macomb Community CollegeWarren, MI · public	$20,701	$21,515	$26,273	Not reported	Not reported
70	City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King CollegeChicago, IL · public	$19,447	$19,455	Not reported	$6,285	32%
71	Jna Institute of Culinary ArtsPhiladelphia, PA · private for-profit	$18,774	$19,241	Not reported	$13,250	71%
72	Monroe UniversityBronx, NY · private for-profit	$18,256	$16,916	$28,947	$13,364	73%
73	North Georgia Technical CollegeClarkesville, GA · public	$17,383	$18,052	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
74	Erie Community CollegeBuffalo, NY · public	$15,793	$14,634	Not reported	$6,439	41%
75	NUC UniversityBayamon, PR · private for-profit	$14,950	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
76	Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestown, NC · public	$14,813	$15,704	$30,242	$32,614	220%
77	Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Carolina CampusCarolina, PR · private nonprofit	$13,207	Not adjusted	$24,537	$8,975	68%
78	Guam Community CollegeMangilao, GU · public	$12,500	Not adjusted	$24,469	Not reported	Not reported

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 57 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 21, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

27 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked. 11 more programs report pay but aren't listed, because College Scorecard's school file doesn't name their schools. The national medians above still count them.

Culinary Arts (Associate's) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's culinary arts associate's programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Michigan	8	$26,639	$14,754
2	New York	6	$26,556	$12,000
3	Pennsylvania	5	$25,893	$15,417

Programs in 31 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

Erie Community College, NY$6,439
Culinary Institute of America, NY$12,000
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred, NY$12,000
Niagara County Community College, NY$12,000
Walnut Hill College, PA$12,000
Baker College, MI$12,000
Jna Institute of Culinary Arts, PA$13,250
Monroe University, NY$13,364
Northwestern Michigan College, MI$14,199
Kalamazoo Valley Community College, MI$14,382

Lowest debt for the pay

Erie Community College, NY41%
Culinary Institute of America, NY43%
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred, NY45%
Niagara County Community College, NY45%
Walnut Hill College, PA46%
Baker College, MI48%
Montgomery County Community College, PA49%
Northwestern Michigan College, MI53%
Kalamazoo Valley Community College, MI54%
Schoolcraft Community College District, MI58%

Only the 16 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to culinary arts, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

Cooks, Restaurant

$37,390

Median pay in the US. 1,409,890 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 12% from 2025 to 2035, with about 218,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: no formal educational credential, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $28,700Top 10%: $47,900

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

$44,080

Median pay in the US. 1,223,240 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 171,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $29,940Top 10%: $65,570

Bartenders

$34,340

Median pay in the US. 756,390 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 121,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: no formal educational credential.

Bottom 10%: $20,110Top 10%: $73,770

Buyers and Purchasing Agents

$77,710

Median pay in the US. 491,430 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 47,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $48,380Top 10%: $128,870

Common questions

The median culinary arts associate's program in the US pays its graduates $26,320 in their first year and $33,858 five years after.

Culinary Arts (Certificate) programs in the US, ranked56 programs by pay and debt

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024