Best Culinary & Pastry Schools in Wisconsin (2026)

Quick answer: Culinary professionals in Wisconsin earn a median of $61,300 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited culinary professional schools in Wisconsin with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Looking for culinary professional schools in Wisconsin? The programs below combine classroom instruction with hands-on practice. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $61,300 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Wisconsin Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$61,300BLS OEWS, May 2025
Wisconsin pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$41,990 to $87,570BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying Wisconsin metro for this fieldWausau, WI, $65,910BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2025 to 2035)+6.6% growth, about 25,200 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2025-2035
State employment1,860 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Wisconsin location quotient0.49BLS 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 Wisconsin 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 88 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

Fox Valley Technical College

Appleton, WI 60.8 miles away BOC Score 67.6
Tuition $5,040 in-state / $7,283 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 64.7%
  • Programs offered: 63
  • Annual completions: 2338
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,857 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Moraine Park Technical College

Fond du Lac, WI 28.1 miles away BOC Score 66.9
Tuition $4,819 in-state / $7,084 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 57.5%
  • Programs offered: 61
  • Annual completions: 1243
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,771 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

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#3

Lakeshore Technical College

Cleveland, WI 56.9 miles away BOC Score 63.9
Tuition $4,844 in-state / $7,087 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 49.7%
  • Programs offered: 46
  • Annual completions: 560
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,985 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College

Green Bay, WI 81.4 miles away BOC Score 62.5
Tuition $4,960 in-state / $7,233 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 50.9%
  • Programs offered: 61
  • Annual completions: 2123
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,887 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

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#5

Waukesha County Technical College

Pewaukee, WI 30.7 miles away BOC Score 62.3
Tuition $4,872 in-state / $7,115 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 44.4%
  • Programs offered: 51
  • Annual completions: 1788
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $57,764 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Madison Area Technical College

Madison, WI 39.8 miles away BOC Score 59.1
Tuition $4,977 in-state / $7,255 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 28.9%
  • Programs offered: 88
  • Annual completions: 2537
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,207 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

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#7

McHenry County College

Crystal Lake, IL 83.7 miles away BOC Score 58.3
Tuition $4,162 in-state / $14,399 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 36.8%
  • Programs offered: 37
  • Annual completions: 546
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,580 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Mid-State Technical College

Wisconsin Rapids, WI 88.2 miles away BOC Score 56.9
Tuition $5,002 in-state / $7,171 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 51.9%
  • Programs offered: 48
  • Annual completions: 797
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,827 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

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#9

Gateway Technical College

Kenosha, WI 68.7 miles away BOC Score 56.0
Tuition $4,956 in-state / $7,199 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 51.3%
  • Programs offered: 62
  • Annual completions: 2188
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,142 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Milwaukee Area Technical College

Milwaukee, WI 44.6 miles away BOC Score 52.5
Tuition $5,184 in-state / $7,427 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 24.6%
  • Programs offered: 82
  • Annual completions: 2205
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,346 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

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#11

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL 79.8 miles away BOC Score 47.4
Tuition $4,788 in-state / $14,400 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 37.4%
  • Programs offered: 54
  • Annual completions: 2072
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,821 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Blackhawk Technical College

Janesville, WI 53.9 miles away BOC Score 45.1
Tuition $4,267 in-state / $6,061 out-of-state
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 33.8%
  • Programs offered: 39
  • Annual completions: 642
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $56,991 (College Scorecard)

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, 2025-2035
Chefs and Head Cooks employment 2025 vs 2035 projection, BLS Employment Projections2025 employment 220300; 2035 projected employment 234700; percent change +6.6%.2025220,300 jobs2035 (proj.)234,700 jobsChange: +6.6%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025-2035
Chefs and Head Cooks employment projection 2025 to 2035
YearEmployment
2025220,300
2035 projected234,700
Percent change+6.6%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does culinary professional training take in Wisconsin?

Culinary professional certificate programs in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), culinary professionals in Wisconsin earned a median annual wage of approximately $61,300. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $41,990 to $87,570 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many culinary professional schools are in Wisconsin?

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 Statistics2025-2035
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)