Cooks, Fast Food Salary in California
Cooks, Fast Food in California earn a median $42,050 a year, +36% against the national median of $30,890; they and rank 3rd of 51 states by median. That is 28% less than the median across all occupations in California ($58,240). California pays more than every neighbouring state: Oregon, Nevada and Arizona range from $32,660 in Arizona to $37,880 in Oregon. California employs 124,440 cooks, fast food, 6.83 per 1,000 jobs, the 1st largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.66 means the occupation is more concentrated in California than nationally.
California vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $17.19 | $17.92 | $20.21 | $20.82 | $23.44 | $19.95 | 124,440 | 6.83 | 1.66 |
| Annual | $35,750 | $37,260 | $42,050 | $43,300 | $48,750 | $41,490 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $10.86 | $13.11 | $14.85 | $17.92 | $20.63 | $15.57 | 641,070 | – | – |
| Annual | $22,580 | $27,260 | $30,890 | $37,260 | $42,910 | $32,390 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 3rd of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 1st of 49 states
- Location quotient
- 1.66
- Jobs per 1,000
- 6.83
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of California's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Metropolitan areas in California
25 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching California publish a row for cooks, fast food, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $22.70 | $47,220 | $38,210 | $50,850 | 4,790 | 4.22 | 1.02 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $22.44 | $46,670 | $38,350 | $54,820 | 10,160 | 4.28 | 1.04 |
| Napa, CA | $21.78 | $45,300 | $37,420 | $46,560 | 370 | 4.74 | 1.15 |
| Vallejo, CA | $21.37 | $44,450 | $36,950 | $55,520 | 1,150 | 8.00 | 1.94 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $21.08 | $43,840 | $37,340 | $47,720 | 1,050 | 5.11 | 1.24 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $20.98 | $43,630 | $36,930 | $44,590 | 710 | 7.16 | 1.74 |
| Salinas, CA | $20.73 | $43,120 | $35,130 | $47,010 | 1,100 | 5.87 | 1.42 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $20.53 | $42,700 | $36,680 | $44,290 | 1,430 | 7.13 | 1.73 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $20.45 | $42,530 | $35,980 | $46,640 | 2,520 | 7.79 | 1.89 |
| Modesto, CA | $20.44 | $42,510 | $36,120 | $46,940 | 1,620 | 8.31 | 2.02 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $20.42 | $42,480 | $34,800 | $44,080 | 16,910 | 9.85 | 2.39 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $20.41 | $42,450 | $36,110 | $47,230 | 10,630 | 6.91 | 1.68 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $20.38 | $42,390 | $34,930 | $43,700 | 850 | 6.99 | 1.70 |
| Yuba City, CA | $20.35 | $42,320 | $35,680 | $48,450 | 390 | 7.68 | 1.86 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $20.29 | $42,210 | $34,320 | $44,270 | 8,020 | 7.42 | 1.80 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $20.00 | $41,600 | $35,380 | $43,330 | 2,260 | 7.82 | 1.90 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $19.94 | $41,480 | $35,030 | $47,190 | 2,450 | 7.24 | 1.76 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $19.85 | $41,280 | $34,320 | $43,690 | 450 | 9.19 | 2.23 |
| Merced, CA | $19.44 | $40,430 | $34,560 | $42,560 | 660 | 8.24 | 2.00 |
| Chico, CA | $19.39 | $40,340 | $35,520 | $45,330 | 580 | 7.48 | 1.81 |
| El Centro, CA | $19.34 | $40,230 | $36,480 | $42,490 | 330 | 5.06 | 1.23 |
| Redding, CA | $19.19 | $39,920 | $35,860 | $42,970 | 470 | 6.59 | 1.60 |
| Visalia, CA | $19.11 | $39,750 | $35,950 | $42,550 | 1,410 | 8.24 | 2.00 |
| Fresno, CA | $19.05 | $39,620 | $34,320 | $48,350 | 3,910 | 8.21 | 1.99 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $18.27 | $38,000 | $35,760 | $45,550 | 48,440 | 7.72 | 1.87 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $20.38 | $42,380 | $35,990 | $43,630 | 400 | 6.32 | 1.53 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $20.35 | $42,330 | $35,410 | $43,540 | 560 | 5.38 | 1.31 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $20.26 | $42,140 | $35,290 | $43,680 | 620 | 5.65 | 1.37 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Cooks, Fast Food (every state ranked) and the California wage profile (every occupation in the state).
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS California estimates.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.