Best Culinary & Pastry Schools in Virginia (2026)

Quick answer: Culinary professionals in Virginia earn a median of $63,270 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited culinary professional schools in Virginia with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Looking for culinary professional schools in Virginia? The programs below combine classroom instruction with hands-on practice. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $63,270 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Virginia Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$63,270BLS OEWS, May 2025
Virginia pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$43,010 to $90,470BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+7.1% growth, about 24,400 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment3,600 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Virginia location quotient0.68BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Culinary professional Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the Virginia figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools within 111 miles, ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 12 of them carry a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

Piedmont Virginia Community College

Charlottesville, VA 53.3 miles away BOC Score 62.2
Tuition $5,072 in-state / $11,510 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 38.6%
  • Programs offered: 17
  • Annual completions: 149
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,090 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Vance-Granville Community College

Henderson, NC 67.6 miles away BOC Score 57.2
Tuition $1,944 in-state / $6,552 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 52.6%
  • Programs offered: 22
  • Annual completions: 355
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,633 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

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#3

Patrick & Henry Community College

Martinsville, VA 74.8 miles away BOC Score 56.2
Tuition $5,002 in-state / $11,440 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 41.5%
  • Programs offered: 20
  • Annual completions: 224
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $44,016 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Virginia Western Community College

Roanoke, VA 70.5 miles away BOC Score 54.1
Tuition $5,400 in-state / $11,838 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 40.1%
  • Programs offered: 28
  • Annual completions: 669
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,004 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

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#5

J Sargeant Reynolds Community College

Richmond, VA 71.4 miles away BOC Score 52.7
Tuition $5,280 in-state / $11,718 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 32.2%
  • Programs offered: 27
  • Annual completions: 631
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,140 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Nash Community College

Rocky Mount, NC 100.1 miles away BOC Score 52.0
Tuition $2,866 in-state / $8,866 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 41.3%
  • Programs offered: 22
  • Annual completions: 411
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,139 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

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#7

Alamance Community College

Graham, NC 91.4 miles away BOC Score 50.9
Tuition $2,592 in-state / $8,736 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 39.3%
  • Programs offered: 27
  • Annual completions: 577
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $41,411 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Central Virginia Community College

Lynchburg, VA 27.6 miles away BOC Score 50.4
Tuition $5,157 in-state / $11,595 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 44.6%
  • Programs offered: 23
  • Annual completions: 496
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $45,157 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

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#9

Durham Technical Community College

Durham, NC 90.5 miles away BOC Score 49.8
Tuition $1,986 in-state / $6,594 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 44.9%
  • Programs offered: 27
  • Annual completions: 375
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $57,868 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Southside Virginia Community College

Alberta, VA 52.4 miles away BOC Score 47.9
Tuition $5,007 in-state / $11,445 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 41.8%
  • Programs offered: 23
  • Annual completions: 421
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,979 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

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#11

Mountain Gateway Community College

Clifton Forge, VA 73.5 miles away BOC Score 42.0
Tuition $5,022 in-state / $11,460 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 37.7%
  • Programs offered: 21
  • Annual completions: 125
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $44,085 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Guilford Technical Community College

Jamestown, NC 111.4 miles away BOC Score 35.2
Tuition $2,320 in-state / $7,696 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 31.1%
  • Programs offered: 45
  • Annual completions: 1306
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $44,924 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

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Culinary Worker Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - Chefs and Head Cooks
Chefs and Head Cooks annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $37900, P25 $48440, P50 $62470, P75 $78750, P90 $98560.10th$37,90025th$48,44050th (median)$62,47075th$78,75090th$98,560
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Chefs and Head Cooks annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$37,900
25th$48,440
50th (median)$62,470
75th$78,750
90th$98,560
Projected employment growth, United States, Chefs and Head Cooks, 2024-2034
Chefs and Head Cooks employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 197300; 2034 projected employment 211300; percent change +7.1%.2024197,300 jobs2034 (proj.)211,300 jobsChange: +7.1%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Chefs and Head Cooks employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
2024197,300
2034 projected211,300
Percent change+7.1%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does culinary professional training take in Virginia?

Culinary professional certificate programs in Virginia typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do culinary professionals earn in Virginia?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), culinary professionals in Virginia earned a median annual wage of approximately $63,270. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $43,010 to $90,470 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many culinary professional schools are in Virginia?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)