Culinary Arts and Related Services programs in North Carolina
52 schools in North Carolina teach this, at certificate or associate level. 9 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $28,960 at Wake Technical Community College.
What this work pays in North Carolina
Cooks, Restaurant in North Carolina earn a median of $35,400 a year across 50,150 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $45,010 | 39,750 |
| Bartenders | $36,470 | 20,070 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $36,140 | 11,170 |
| Food Service Managers | $74,080 | 9,420 |
| Bakers | $34,510 | 9,320 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Technical Community College Raleigh | Associate's degree | — | $28,960 (22 grads) | 26 |
| Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte Charlotte | Associate's degree | $14,167 | $28,091 (445 grads) | 217 |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville | Associate's degree | — | $26,285 (49 grads) | 15 |
| Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville | Associate's degree | — | $24,421 (14 grads) | 6 |
| Wilkes Community College Wilkesboro | Associate's degree | — | $24,421 (12 grads) | 6 |
| Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown | Associate's degree | — | $22,572 (38 grads) | 19 |
| Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte | Associate's degree | — | $22,094 (43 grads) | 31 |
| Sandhills Community College Pinehurst | Associate's degree | — | $18,771 (11 grads) | 13 |
| College of the Albemarle Elizabeth City | Undergraduate certificate | — | $16,820 (11 grads) | 12 |
| Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown | Undergraduate certificate | $26,250 | not published | 50 |
| Wake Technical Community College Raleigh | Undergraduate certificate | $12,000 | not published | 42 |
| Alamance Community College Graham | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| Alamance Community College Graham | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 23 |
| Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson | Associate's degree | — | not published | 9 |
| Cape Fear Community College Wilmington | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Cape Fear Community College Wilmington | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| Carteret Community College Morehead City | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 21 |
| Carteret Community College Morehead City | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Central Carolina Community College Sanford | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Central Carolina Community College Sanford | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 54 |
| Coastal Carolina Community College Jacksonville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 30 |
| Coastal Carolina Community College Jacksonville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Durham Technical Community College Durham | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Durham Technical Community College Durham | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Lenoir Community College Kinston | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 13 |
| Lenoir Community College Kinston | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Livingstone College Salisbury | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Livingstone College Salisbury | Associate's degree | — | not published | 10 |
| Mitchell Community College Statesville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 11 |
| Mitchell Community College Statesville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Montgomery Community College Troy | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 7 |
| Nash Community College Rocky Mount | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Nash Community College Rocky Mount | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Piedmont Community College Roxboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Robeson Community College Lumberton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Robeson Community College Lumberton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
| Sandhills Community College Pinehurst | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| South Piedmont Community College Polkton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| South Piedmont Community College Polkton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Southwestern Community College Sylva | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Southwestern Community College Sylva | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Tri-County Community College Murphy | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Tri-County Community College Murphy | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Vance-Granville Community College Henderson | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Vance-Granville Community College Henderson | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Wilkes Community College Wilkesboro | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 16 |
| Wilson Community College Wilson | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Wilson Community College Wilson | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Culinary Arts and Related Services — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.