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Culinary & pastry schools in Florida

Florida has 47 accredited campuses awarding culinary credentials. If you finish and work as a chef in Florida, expect to start around $31,920–$43,680 and reach a median of $58,240 with experience; the top quarter earn $75,840 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Florida). Graduates of these Florida programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $20,695 in their first year, against $24,208 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.

What chefs and head cooks earn in Florida

$31,920starting (10th percentile)
$43,680early career (25th)
$58,240median, all experience
$75,840experienced (75th)
$92,300top earners (90th)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 19,670 employed in Florida. National median: $62,470.

Campuses in Florida, ranked by what their graduates earned

47campuses in Florida
1,472credentials awarded / yr
$20,695median earnings, yr 1 (Florida)
$24,208median earnings, yr 1 (U.S.)

Cities: Avon ParkBradentonCape CoralClearwaterCoconut CreekDavieDaytona BeachEustisFort LauderdaleFort MyersFort PierceFort Walton BeachHollywoodImmokaleeInvernessJacksonvilleKey WestKissimmeeLakelandLive OakMelbourneMiamiMiltonNaplesNew Port RicheyNicevilleOcalaOrlandoPanama CityPensacolaPort CharlotteSaint AugustineSaint PetersburgSanfordSarasotaTallahasseeTampaWinter GardenWinter Haven

CampusCityTypeGrads / yrEarnings, yr 1Program debtCompletionCost / yr
Miami Dade College Miami Public 128 $28,117 $10,500 not reported not reported
Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale non-profit 49 $25,910 $18,500 not reported not reported
Valencia College Orlando Public 399 $24,166 $11,422 not reported not reported
Florida Education Institute Miami for-profit 102 $22,257 $9,500 74% $40,974
Sheridan Technical College Hollywood Public 27 $20,695 not reported 70% $12,784
Pinellas Technical College-Clearwater Clearwater Public 32 $19,375 not reported 52% $26,909
Atlantic Technical College Coconut Creek Public 49 $16,935 not reported 65% $15,131
Withlacoochee Technical College Inverness Public 8 $15,131 not reported 61% $12,540
Lively Technical College Tallahassee Public 21 $10,752 not reported 51% $15,490
Mariano Moreno Culinary Institute Miami for-profit 66 not reported not reported 64% $18,766
William T McFatter Technical College Davie Public 66 not reported not reported 66% $17,061
Indian River State College Fort Pierce Public 54 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville Public 37 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Pensacola State College Pensacola Public 28 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Charlotte Technical College Port Charlotte Public 27 not reported not reported 51% not reported
Daytona State College Daytona Beach Public 27 not reported $11,279 not reported not reported
Hillsborough Community College Tampa Public 25 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Marion Technical College Ocala Public 25 not reported not reported 80% $13,021
Orange Technical College-West Campus Winter Garden Public 25 not reported not reported 71% $18,009
Gulf Coast State College Panama City Public 24 not reported not reported not reported not reported
First Coast Technical College Saint Augustine Public 23 not reported not reported 77% $14,288
Suncoast Technical College Sarasota Public 22 not reported not reported 50% $24,456
Broward College Fort Lauderdale Public 20 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Manatee Technical College Bradenton Public 20 not reported not reported 64% $4,193
Lake Technical College Eustis Public 19 not reported not reported 47% $25,443
Fort Myers Technical College Fort Myers Public 15 not reported not reported 81% not reported
Erwin Technical College Tampa Public 14 not reported not reported 80% $10,731
Lorenzo Walker Technical College Naples Public 12 not reported not reported 99% $14,698
Orange Technical College-South Campus Orlando Public 11 not reported not reported 35% $14,209
Cape Coral Technical College Cape Coral Public 9 not reported not reported 83% $2,297
Northwest Florida State College Niceville Public 9 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Pinellas Technical College-St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg Public 9 not reported not reported 60% $30,586
Lindsey Hopkins Technical College Miami Public 8 not reported not reported 66% $9,855
Osceola Technical College Kissimmee Public 8 not reported not reported 47% $10,001
Eastern Florida State College Melbourne Public 7 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Riveroak Technical College Live Oak Public 7 not reported not reported 75% $17,285
Okaloosa Technical College Fort Walton Beach Public 6 not reported not reported 82% $21,680
Fred K Marchman Technical College New Port Richey Public 5 not reported not reported 71% $11,021
Immokalee Technical College Immokalee Public 5 not reported not reported 86% $18,551
Robert Morgan Educational Center and Technical College Miami Public 5 not reported not reported 13% $14,951
Radford M Locklin Technical College Milton Public 4 not reported not reported 63% $9,088
Ridge Technical College Winter Haven Public 4 not reported not reported 99% not reported
George Stone Technical College Pensacola Public 3 not reported not reported 36% not reported
Seminole State College of Florida Sanford Public 2 not reported not reported not reported not reported
South Florida State College Avon Park Public 2 not reported not reported not reported not reported
The College of the Florida Keys Key West Public 2 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Traviss Technical College Lakeland Public 2 not reported not reported 90% not reported

Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.

Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.

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