by our College Data Analytics Team
[Culinary Arts](/majors/personal-and-culinary-services/culinary-arts/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 7 schools on the early-career earnings of their culinary arts graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send culinary arts graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Leading the list is Mountainland Technical College, our #1 for culinary arts graduate salaries in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in the city of Lehi, Mountainland Technical College is a public institution. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $33,782.
A rank of #2 makes Mesa State College one of the highest-paying schools for culinary arts. Mesa State College is a public school located in the city of Grand Junction. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $34,075.
Students chasing top earnings in culinary arts will find them at Salt Lake Community College, which ranked #3. Salt Lake Community College is a public school located in the suburb of Salt Lake City. After graduating, culinary arts degree recipients from Salt Lake Community College typically earn about $31,788 annually.
Auguste Escoffier School Of Culinary Arts Boulder came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying culinary arts schools. Located in the city of Boulder, Auguste Escoffier School Of Culinary Arts Boulder is a private for-profit institution. Early-career culinary arts graduates from Auguste Escoffier School Of Culinary Arts Boulder make a median of around $33,080 per year.
Students chasing top earnings in culinary arts will find them at Emily Griffith Technical College, which ranked #5. Set in the city of Denver, Emily Griffith Technical College is a public institution. After graduating, culinary arts degree recipients from Emily Griffith Technical College typically earn about $22,599 annually.
Utah Valley University came in at #6 for culinary arts graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Orem, Utah Valley University is a public institution. After graduating, culinary arts degree recipients from Utah Valley University typically earn about $29,313 annually.
Pikes Peak Community College ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying culinary arts schools. Located in the suburb of Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community College is a public institution. Culinary Arts graduates of Pikes Peak Community College earn a median of about $27,043 a year early in their careers.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries culinary arts graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 7 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.