by our College Data Analytics Team
[Culinary Arts](/majors/personal-and-culinary-services/culinary-arts/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The schools below stand out for the salaries their culinary arts graduates go on to command.
College Factual analyzed 100 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying culinary arts schools.
What’s on this page:
The right culinary arts school can pay off in your paycheck for years to come. That is why we developed our Highest Paid Culinary Arts Graduates ranking. We rank each school on the early-career earnings of its culinary arts graduates to surface the highest-paying programs.
Read more about our methodology
We offer a number of rankings, including this Highest Paid Culinary Arts Graduates list, to help you decide. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we have developed a unique tool called College Combat that lets you compare schools on the factors that matter most to you.
If you want to know which schools send culinary arts graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Capital Community College tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying culinary arts schools in the United States. Set in the city of New Britain, Capital Community College is a public institution. After graduating, culinary arts degree recipients from Capital Community College typically earn about $53,983 annually.
Iowa Western Community College came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying culinary arts schools. Iowa Western Community College is a public school located in the suburb of Council Bluffs. After graduating, culinary arts degree recipients from Iowa Western Community College typically earn about $50,785 annually.
Strong graduate earnings at Brookdale Community College earned it the #3 place for culinary arts. Brookdale Community College is a public school located in the suburb of Lincroft. Culinary Arts graduates of Brookdale Community College earn a median of about $49,261 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at Scottsdale Community College earned it the #4 place for culinary arts. Located in the rural area of Scottsdale, Scottsdale Community College is a public institution. Early-career culinary arts graduates from Scottsdale Community College make a median of around $39,397 per year.
Hennepin Technical College came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying culinary arts schools. Set in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public institution. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $43,529.
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Saint Augustine College placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for culinary arts. Saint Augustine College is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Early-career culinary arts graduates from Saint Augustine College make a median of around $43,384 per year.
Suffolk County Community College came in at #7 for culinary arts graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Selden, Suffolk County Community College is a public institution. Culinary Arts graduates of Suffolk County Community College earn a median of about $42,704 a year early in their careers.
Southern Maine Community College ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying culinary arts schools. Set in the city of South Portland, Southern Maine Community College is a public institution. Early-career culinary arts graduates from Southern Maine Community College make a median of around $41,344 per year.
Atlanta Technical College came in at #9 for culinary arts graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Atlanta, Atlanta Technical College is a public institution. Culinary Arts graduates of Atlanta Technical College earn a median of about $40,302 a year early in their careers.
North Dakota State College Of Science landed the #10 spot for culinary arts salaries this year. Set in the town of Wahpeton, North Dakota State College Of Science is a public institution. Culinary Arts graduates of North Dakota State College Of Science earn a median of about $39,940 a year early in their careers.
Central Community College landed the #11 spot for culinary arts salaries this year. Central Community College is a public school located in the city of Grand Island. Culinary Arts graduates of Central Community College earn a median of about $39,855 a year early in their careers.
Mountainland Technical College landed the #12 spot for culinary arts salaries this year. Mountainland Technical College is a public school located in the city of Lehi. After graduating, culinary arts degree recipients from Mountainland Technical College typically earn about $33,782 annually.
Clover Park Technical College landed the #13 spot for culinary arts salaries this year. Located in the city of Lakewood, Clover Park Technical College is a public institution. After graduating, culinary arts degree recipients from Clover Park Technical College typically earn about $39,692 annually.
Estrella Mountain Community College earned the #14 position for culinary arts graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Avondale, Estrella Mountain Community College is a public institution. Early-career culinary arts graduates from Estrella Mountain Community College make a median of around $33,303 per year.
Johnson County Community College ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying culinary arts schools. Set in the city of Overland Park, Johnson County Community College is a public institution. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $40,068.
Richland Community College placed #16 among the highest-paying schools for culinary arts. Set in the city of Decatur, Richland Community College is a public institution. Culinary Arts graduates of Richland Community College earn a median of about $39,371 a year early in their careers.
Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg placed #17 among the highest-paying schools for culinary arts. Set in the city of Harrisburg, Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg is a public institution. Early-career culinary arts graduates from Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg make a median of around $39,335 per year.
West Hills College Lemoore placed #18 among the highest-paying schools for culinary arts. Located in the rural area of Lemoore, West Hills College Lemoore is a public institution. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $33,021.
Hocking College placed #19 among the highest-paying schools for culinary arts. Hocking College is a public school located in the rural area of Nelsonville. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $39,137.
Austin Community College District earned the #20 position for culinary arts graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public institution. Early-career culinary arts graduates from Austin Community College District make a median of around $38,732 per year.
Metropolitan Community College Area ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying culinary arts schools. Metropolitan Community College Area is a public school located in the city of Omaha. After graduating, culinary arts degree recipients from Metropolitan Community College Area typically earn about $38,492 annually.
Arizona Culinary Institute came in at #22 for culinary arts graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Scottsdale, Arizona Culinary Institute is a private for-profit institution. Culinary Arts graduates of Arizona Culinary Institute earn a median of about $34,396 a year early in their careers.
Luzerne County Community College earned the #23 position for culinary arts graduate earnings this year. Luzerne County Community College is a public school located in the suburb of Nanticoke. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $38,333.
Southeast Community College Area placed #24 among the highest-paying schools for culinary arts. Set in the city of Lincoln, Southeast Community College Area is a public institution. Early-career culinary arts graduates from Southeast Community College Area make a median of around $34,047 per year.
Collin County Community College District earned the #25 position for culinary arts graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of McKinney, Collin County Community College District is a public institution. Culinary Arts graduates of Collin County Community College District earn a median of about $37,524 a year early in their careers.
Not far behind, these schools also produced high-earning culinary arts graduates:
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This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their culinary arts graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 100 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.