How Much Does Chipotle Pay?

Chipotle Mexican Grill, known simply as Chipotle, is a chain of restaurants in the US primarily offering Mexican food. There are almost 3,000 Chipotle restaurants across the country that employ over 100,000 people.

Chipotle is famous for offering unique benefits and having a salary satisfaction rate of 44%, well above the fast-food industry average. But how much does Chipotle pay, and what are some other reasons to seek employment there?

Keep reading to find out more!

How Much Does Chipotle Pay on Average?

The average pay at Chipotle depends on numerous factors, including an employee’s experience, their department, and the region or state they work in. Because most people who start working at Chipotle restaurants get entry-level positions, we’ll focus on their pay average first.

To illustrate how much an average Chipotle worker can expect to earn, we’ll assume they are employed as a crew member, which is an entry-level job.

How much does Chipotle pay per hour?

The latest national average taken from employee reviews suggests that a Chipotle crew member has an hourly wage of $14.74. This amount will be used for almost all the calculations in this article.

Before performing further salary calculations using this amount as a basis, we should note that there’s a big difference between salary and hourly wage — while a salary is usually fixed, a wage is more flexible and depends on many factors.

Once we have the Chipotle hourly wage as a basis, we can calculate the average pay of a crew member by using the following assumptions as parameters:

• They work 40 hours per week as a full-time employee (anything less than 35 hours per week is considered part-time employment).
• They don’t work overtime.
• There are 52 weeks (or 260 weekdays) per year.

Using these parameters for calculations, we get unadjusted pay (vacations and holidays not included). To get the expected adjusted pay, we’ll just add the following assumptions to the equation:

• There are ten holidays per year
• There are 15 vacation days per year

How much does Chipotle pay per week?

Based on a Chipotle crew member’s average hourly pay, they can expect to make $590 unadjusted/$533 adjusted per week.

Chipotle usually pays its employees bi-weekly (every other Friday of the month), so this information might be more useful. Bi-weekly, a Chipotle crew member can earn about $1,179 unadjusted/$1,066 adjusted.

Note: Although most Chipotle restaurants pay their employees every other Friday, this may vary from one franchise to another. Franchises nationwide have the autonomy in setting their own paydays.

How much does Chipotle pay per month?

Using the same parameters for this calculation, we get the average monthly pay of $2,555 unadjusted/$2,309 adjusted. However, we should mention that this is your gross monthly income. To get a clear picture of how much you’ll be left with after paying your taxes, you can use a take-home pay calculator.

How much does Chipotle pay per year?

When it comes to a Chipotle crew member’s yearly earnings, they can expect to make about $30,659 unadjusted/$27,711 adjusted. We should mention that this is your total annual income, so you won’t get a clear picture of your actual annual earnings. And, since you can’t predict every single sick day, overtime hours, or days off you’d use in a year, calculations will always be a bit off.

How Much Does Chipotle Pay per State?

A Chipotle employee’s salary is determined by many factors, namely their experience and the department they work in. However, what can greatly affect it is the state they work in. How do the average hourly rates of Chipotle workers differ across some US states? Let’s find out.

How much does Chipotle pay in Texas?

In Texas Chipotle franchises, salaries seem to be somewhat lower than the national average:

• A crew member makes $13.35 per hour ($25,098 annually, adjusted).
• A cook makes $14.26 per hour ($26,809 annually, adjusted).
• A shift leader will make $13.77 per hour ($25,888 annually, adjusted).

How much does Chipotle pay in Florida?

In Florida, Chipotle wages are some of the lowest in the country:

• A crew member will earn $12.22 per hour ($22,974 annually, adjusted).
• A grill cook will make $12.49 per hour ($23,481 annually, adjusted).
• A shift manager will make $15.48 per hour ($29,102 annually, adjusted).

How much does Chipotle pay in California?

In California, Chipotle hourly rates are some of the highest in the country.

• A crew member earns as much as $16.93 per hour ($31,828 annually, adjusted).
• A grill cook earns $16.55 per hour ($31,114 annually, adjusted).
• A shift leader in California makes $19.29 per hour ($36,265 annually, adjusted).

These hourly rates are impressive not just compared to other states, but also to other food-industry competitors, such as Subway and Chick-fil-A.

How Much Does Chipotle Pay per Position?

Let’s see what Chipotle pay per hour looks like for different job positions on a national scale:

• A server is paid an average of $13.39 per hour ($25,173 annually, adjusted).
• Crew members make approximately $14.74 per hour ($27,711 annually, adjusted).
• A cook earns $14.95 per hour ($28,106 annually, adjusted).
• A kitchen manager can make $15.84 per hour ($29,779 annually, adjusted).
• Shift managers at Chipotle make $17.13 per hour ($32,204 annually, adjusted).
• A general manager at Chipotle makes approximately $29 per hour ($54,520 annually, adjusted).

While this is the average pay at Chipotle, rates can be significantly lower or higher depending on an employee’s experience and the state where they are employed.

How Old Do You Have to Be to Work at Chipotle?

To work at a Chipotle restaurant, you need to be at least 16 years old.

While some fast-food franchises may be willing to hire those aged 14 or 15, Chipotle simply doesn’t hire anyone younger than 16.

How much does Chipotle pay 16-year-olds?

All Chipotle employees work for the agreed-upon hourly rate, regardless of their age. In theory, 16-year-olds can earn as much as their older colleagues. However, due to regulations on work hours for minors in the US, minors are often not permitted to work shifts longer than four hours during a school year.

The exact number of allowed work hours for 16-year-olds differs across the US, but we can use Californian regulations on the matter as an example.

For instance, teens of this age who live in the state of California can:

• Work four-hour-long shifts a day during school days (20 hours, five days a week).
• Work eight-hour-long shifts on non-school days or days preceding non-school days.

How does this affect their earnings? Well, using the national average hourly wage for crew members at Chipotle ($14.74) as a calculation basis, we get:

• A daily wage of $58.96 (during a school day; unadjusted).
• A daily wage of $117.92 (during a non-school day; unadjusted).

Note: Minors are restricted in terms of jobs that they can get hired for. At Chipotle, they can only hold two entry-level positions (crew member and prep cook).

Chipotle Employee Benefits

What are some of the benefits and perks Chipotle offers? Let’s take a look:

Benefits & perks

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• A variety of bonuses (daily, performance, quarterly, yearly)
• Employee discounts
• One free meal per day
• Paid time off (after one year on the job)
  401(k)
• Tuition assistance (for students)

Believe it or not, all Chipotle employees are eligible for these benefits. This is quite impressive compared to other companies in the food industry! For example, Subway employees can’t count on healthcare coverage and paid time off.

Although Chipotle doesn’t offer maternity leave for employees who aren’t on a fixed salary, you are allowed to use paid time off. Additionally, Chipotle allows working on a flexible schedule.

Wrap Up

So, how much does Chipotle pay? The answer is, more than the majority of its closest competitors in the fast-food industry.

The most common entry-level position of a Chipotle crew member pays around $14.74 per hour. Meanwhile, a server (the lowest-paid position in the franchise) can get $13.39 per hour, more than shift leaders in some competing restaurants.

When you combine the impressive hourly rates with all the benefits Chipotle offers, you get an excellent job opportunity. And since Chipotle restaurants are constantly understaffed, you’ll probably get hired quickly.

However, working at Chipotle restaurants does also have its downsides. There have been complaints about employees not having enough time for breaks precisely because restaurants are frequently understaffed.

Whether or not you decide to work at Chipotle, make sure to research the offered benefits, check out the hourly rates, and do some estimates on how much money you’ll be left with after paying taxes.