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Culinary & pastry schools in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has 21 accredited campuses awarding culinary credentials. If you finish and work as a chef in Pennsylvania, expect to start around $39,040–$49,280 and reach a median of $63,860 with experience; the top quarter earn $81,790 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Pennsylvania). Graduates of these Pennsylvania programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $26,650 in their first year, against $24,208 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.

What chefs and head cooks earn in Pennsylvania

$39,040starting (10th percentile)
$49,280early career (25th)
$63,860median, all experience
$81,790experienced (75th)
$95,830top earners (90th)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 9,170 employed in Pennsylvania. National median: $62,470.

Campuses in Pennsylvania, ranked by what their graduates earned

21campuses in Pennsylvania
376credentials awarded / yr
$26,650median earnings, yr 1 (Pennsylvania)
$24,208median earnings, yr 1 (U.S.)

Cities: BethlehemBlue BellErieHarrisburgHermitageIndianaJohnstownLebanonMediaNanticokeNewtownOakdalePhiladelphiaPittsburghReadingScrantonWilliamsportYorkYoungwood

CampusCityTypeGrads / yrEarnings, yr 1Program debtCompletionCost / yr
Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Indiana Public 64 $29,519 $12,000 not reported not reported
Community College of Philadelphia Philadelphia Public 12 $29,199 not reported 24% not reported
Jna Institute of Culinary Arts Philadelphia for-profit 9 $28,097 $11,212 60% not reported
Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport Public 13 $27,546 $15,638 not reported not reported
Pittsburgh Technical College Oakdale non-profit 28 $27,271 $9,500 not reported not reported
YTI Career Institute-York York for-profit 21 $26,650 $7,667 45% $20,585
Walnut Hill College Philadelphia for-profit 76 $26,305 $12,000 not reported not reported
Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell Public 32 $25,520 $12,771 28% not reported
Commonwealth Technical Institute Johnstown non-profit 23 $11,921 not reported 86% not reported
Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood Public 32 not reported not reported 31% not reported
Northampton County Area Community College Bethlehem Public 13 not reported not reported 24% not reported
Lackawanna College Scranton non-profit 12 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Laurel Technical Institute Hermitage for-profit 9 not reported not reported 73% not reported
Luzerne County Community College Nanticoke Public 9 not reported not reported 23% not reported
Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg Public 6 not reported not reported 21% not reported
Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh Public 5 not reported not reported 24% not reported
Delaware County Community College Media Public 5 not reported not reported 24% not reported
Bucks County Community College Newtown Public 4 not reported not reported 32% not reported
Lebanon County Area Vocational Technical School Lebanon Public 1 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Mercyhurst University Erie non-profit 1 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Reading Area Community College Reading Public 1 not reported not reported 34% 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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