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 4 schools on the early-career earnings of their culinary arts graduates.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose culinary arts graduates go on to earn the most.
Mesa State College tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying culinary arts schools in Colorado. Located in the city of Grand Junction, Mesa State College is a public institution. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $34,075.
Strong graduate earnings at Auguste Escoffier School Of Culinary Arts Boulder earned it the #2 place for culinary arts. Located in the city of Boulder, Auguste Escoffier School Of Culinary Arts Boulder is a private for-profit institution. Culinary Arts graduates of Auguste Escoffier School Of Culinary Arts Boulder earn a median of about $33,080 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at Emily Griffith Technical College earned it the #3 place for culinary arts. Set in the city of Denver, Emily Griffith Technical College is a public institution. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $22,599.
A rank of #4 makes Pikes Peak Community College one of the highest-paying schools for culinary arts. Set in the suburb of Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community College is a public institution. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $27,043.
This list is compiled 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 · 4 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.