Career Training Path
Students training in a culinary program

Career Training PathCulinary & pastry schools › Ohio

Culinary & pastry schools in Ohio

Ohio has 11 accredited campuses awarding culinary credentials. If you finish and work as a chef in Ohio, expect to start around $38,370–$45,760 and reach a median of $53,990 with experience; the top quarter earn $74,130 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Ohio). Graduates of these Ohio programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $23,516 in their first year, against $24,208 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.

What chefs and head cooks earn in Ohio

$38,370starting (10th percentile)
$45,760early career (25th)
$53,990median, all experience
$74,130experienced (75th)
$89,960top earners (90th)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 4,000 employed in Ohio. National median: $62,470.

Campuses in Ohio, ranked by what their graduates earned

11campuses in Ohio
344credentials awarded / yr
$23,516median earnings, yr 1 (Ohio)
$24,208median earnings, yr 1 (U.S.)

Cities: ChesterlandCincinnatiClevelandColumbusDaytonElyriaNelsonvilleNorth CantonPerrysburgZanesville

CampusCityTypeGrads / yrEarnings, yr 1Program debtCompletionCost / yr
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati Public 72 $30,232 $8,664 not reported not reported
Stark State College North Canton Public 8 $23,521 not reported 23% not reported
Cuyahoga Community College District Cleveland Public 54 $23,512 not reported 31% not reported
Sinclair Community College Dayton Public 122 $21,940 not reported not reported not reported
Columbus State Community College Columbus Public 32 not reported not reported not reported not reported
International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute Chesterland for-profit 22 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Owens Community College Perrysburg Public 13 not reported not reported 35% not reported
Hocking College Nelsonville Public 12 not reported not reported 37% not reported
Lorain County Community College Elyria Public 5 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Zane State College Zanesville Public 4 not reported not reported not reported not reported
The Loretta Paganini School of Cooking, Inc. dba The International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute Chesterland not reported not reported not reported 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.

The Path · Free weekly newsletter
Career training, minus the guesswork.
Which programs finish, what graduates owe, what they earn. Every week.
Subscribe →

Other trades in Ohio

All trade and career schools in Ohio →

Choosing a career program? Pick with the numbers.
Completion, debt and pay for real programs, plus one practical tip a week. Free.
Subscribe →