Cooks, Restaurant Salary in California
Cooks, Restaurant in California earn a median $44,880 a year, +20% against the national median of $37,390; they and rank 7th of 51 states by median. That is 23% less than the median across all occupations in California ($58,240). California pays more than every neighbouring state: Oregon, Arizona and Nevada range from $38,610 in Nevada to $43,100 in Oregon. California employs 152,250 cooks, restaurant, 8.36 per 1,000 jobs, the 1st largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.92 is close to the national share.
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 | $17.84 | $18.55 | $21.58 | $22.76 | $26.72 | $21.65 | 152,250 | 8.36 | 0.92 |
| Annual | $37,100 | $38,590 | $44,880 | $47,330 | $55,580 | $45,020 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $13.80 | $16.35 | $17.98 | $21.45 | $23.03 | $18.62 | 1,409,890 | – | – |
| Annual | $28,700 | $34,010 | $37,390 | $44,620 | $47,900 | $38,730 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 7th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 1st of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 0.92
- Jobs per 1,000
- 8.36
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, restaurant, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | $22.75 | $47,320 | $38,570 | $58,130 | 1,270 | 16.31 | 1.80 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $22.68 | $47,170 | $37,100 | $63,940 | 8,900 | 7.84 | 0.86 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $22.33 | $46,440 | $37,840 | $51,820 | 15,670 | 10.19 | 1.12 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $22.13 | $46,030 | $40,720 | $58,940 | 20,540 | 8.65 | 0.95 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $21.98 | $45,720 | $38,220 | $55,830 | 2,340 | 11.39 | 1.26 |
| Salinas, CA | $21.60 | $44,930 | $37,150 | $57,980 | 1,910 | 10.26 | 1.13 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $21.42 | $44,560 | $37,170 | $49,840 | 1,020 | 10.40 | 1.15 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $21.38 | $44,460 | $37,230 | $55,010 | 54,320 | 8.66 | 0.96 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $21.27 | $44,230 | $36,750 | $48,470 | 9,240 | 8.55 | 0.94 |
| Vallejo, CA | $21.20 | $44,100 | $37,810 | $49,120 | 1,020 | 7.06 | 0.78 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $20.84 | $43,340 | $36,500 | $50,200 | 2,300 | 11.44 | 1.26 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $20.78 | $43,220 | $36,690 | $48,280 | 1,640 | 13.46 | 1.48 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $20.41 | $42,450 | $36,320 | $49,300 | 14,280 | 8.32 | 0.92 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $20.22 | $42,060 | $36,760 | $47,040 | 3,000 | 9.27 | 1.02 |
| Modesto, CA | $20.15 | $41,910 | $36,680 | $47,040 | 1,300 | 6.68 | 0.74 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $19.79 | $41,170 | $36,570 | $47,760 | 1,560 | 5.38 | 0.59 |
| Yuba City, CA | $18.83 | $39,160 | $36,210 | $49,570 | 400 | 7.74 | 0.85 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $18.66 | $38,810 | $35,580 | $45,980 | 260 | 5.41 | 0.60 |
| Merced, CA | $18.50 | $38,480 | $35,330 | $47,510 | 410 | 5.13 | 0.57 |
| Fresno, CA | $18.40 | $38,260 | $35,430 | $46,130 | 2,980 | 6.25 | 0.69 |
| Redding, CA | $18.37 | $38,200 | $34,940 | $46,770 | 500 | 6.94 | 0.76 |
| Chico, CA | $18.26 | $37,980 | $35,410 | $45,740 | 600 | 7.68 | 0.85 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $18.17 | $37,800 | $35,050 | $46,140 | 2,100 | 6.20 | 0.68 |
| El Centro, CA | $18.13 | $37,710 | $35,020 | $46,260 | 380 | 5.79 | 0.64 |
| Visalia, CA | $17.83 | $37,090 | $34,660 | $45,870 | 1,000 | 5.84 | 0.64 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $21.03 | $43,750 | $36,360 | $50,640 | 910 | 14.47 | 1.60 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $21.00 | $43,680 | $36,610 | $48,250 | 980 | 8.94 | 0.99 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $20.98 | $43,630 | $36,680 | $49,310 | 970 | 9.24 | 1.02 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Cooks, Restaurant (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.