Start with the answer
Chefs and Head Cooks pay in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO and Terre Haute, IN
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Chefs and Head Cooks is $66,970 per year in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. It is $85,920 per year in Terre Haute, IN. Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is 22.1% below Terre Haute, IN on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 35-1011 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 1,820 wage and salary jobs in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO and 50 in Terre Haute, IN. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings