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.
College Factual analyzed 4 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying culinary arts schools.
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.
Iowa Western Community College tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying culinary arts schools in Iowa. Located in the suburb of Council Bluffs, Iowa Western Community College is a public institution. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $50,785.
Strong graduate earnings at Des Moines Area Community College earned it the #2 place for culinary arts. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, Des Moines Area Community College is a public institution. Culinary Arts graduates of Des Moines Area Community College earn a median of about $41,811 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at Kirkwood Community College earned it the #3 place for culinary arts. Kirkwood Community College is a public school located in the city of Cedar Rapids. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $34,065.
Western Iowa Tech Community College came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying culinary arts schools. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public school located in the city of Sioux City. Students who complete the culinary arts program here go on to a median salary of roughly $24,061.
The ranking above is published 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 · 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.