Cooks, Restaurant Salary in California
State wage data from the BLS OEWS survey, May 2025.
Median annual
$44,880
Median hourly
$22
Average annual
$45,020
Employed in state
152K
The median annual salary for Cooks, Restaurant in California is $44,880, or about $22 an hour. That is 20% higher than the national median.
Pay in California ranges from $37,100 at the 10th percentile to $55,580 at the 90th percentile. Roughly 152K people work as cooks, restaurant in the state.
Pay distribution in California
10th$37,100
25th$38,590
Median$44,880
75th$47,330
90th$55,580
Salary calculator
- Hourly
- $21.58
- Daily
- $173
- Weekly
- $863
- Bi-weekly
- $1,726
- Monthly
- $3,740
- Annual
- $44,880
$44,880 a year is around the 50th percentile for Cooks, Restaurants in California. The median is $44,880.
Cooks, Restaurant pay by metro area in California
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | $47,320 | 1.3K |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $47,170 | 8.9K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $46,440 | 16K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $46,030 | 21K |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $45,720 | 2.3K |
| Salinas, CA | $44,930 | 1.9K |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $44,560 | 1.0K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $44,460 | 54K |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $44,230 | 9.2K |
| Vallejo, CA | $44,100 | 1.0K |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $43,340 | 2.3K |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $43,220 | 1.6K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $42,450 | 14K |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $42,060 | 3.0K |
| Modesto, CA | $41,910 | 1.3K |
Other jobs in California
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides$35,800
- Fast Food and Counter Workers$31,200
- Retail Salespersons$35,410
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$40,240
- Registered Nurses$97,550
- Cashiers$32,880
- Office Clerks, General$45,010
- Stockers and Order Fillers$37,330
- General and Operations Managers$105,770
- Software Developers$135,980
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners$36,840
- Waiters and Waitresses$35,230
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$58,640
- Security Guards$38,020
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary$36,780
- Customer Service Representatives$44,770
- Accountants and Auditors$83,680
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse$35,660
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,540
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel$69,990