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Cooks, Fast Food · SOC 35-2011

Cooks, Fast Food Salary in the San Francisco Metro Area

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area

Figures describe the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not San Francisco city limits.

Median annual wage$46,670
Median hourly wage$22.44

Cooks, Fast Food in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earned a median of $46,670 per year ($22.44 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $38,350 at the 10th percentile to $54,820 at the 90th. BLS estimates 10,160 people work in this occupation in the area.

Pay distribution

Half of Cooks, Fast Food in the San Francisco metro area earn more than $46,670 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $43,140 and $48,750.

Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS)
Wage10th25thMedian75th90th
Annual$38,350$43,140$46,670$48,750$54,820
Hourly$18.44$20.74$22.44$23.44$26.36

A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.

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How this area compares

  • San Francisco metro areathis metro area
    $46,670
  • Californiastate (CA)
    $42,050
  • United Statesnational
    $30,890

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

The median here is +11% vs California overall and +51% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.

Compare with other areas

Where this metro sits nationally

$21,930$30,360$38,790$47,220Mayaguez, PR — $21,930Guayama, PR — $22,260Owensboro, KY — $22,260Jackson, MS — $22,310Ponce, PR — $22,330Beckley, WV — $22,370Goldsboro, NC — $22,510Albany, GA — $22,550Toledo, OH — $22,560Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH — $22,610San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR — $22,680Aguadilla, PR — $22,780Parkersburg-Vienna, WV — $22,780Arecibo, PR — $22,840Columbia, SC — $22,880Jacksonville, NC — $22,900Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $23,090Wheeling, WV-OH — $23,110Macon-Bibb County, GA — $23,140Charleston, WV — $23,180Florence, SC — $23,310Gulfport-Biloxi, MS — $23,410Fayetteville, NC — $23,430Bowling Green, KY — $23,450Hattiesburg, MS — $23,470Greenville, NC — $23,600Valdosta, GA — $23,640Rocky Mount, NC — $23,710Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH — $23,710Elizabethtown, KY — $23,870Shreveport-Bossier City, LA — $23,930Sumter, SC — $23,980Alexandria, LA — $24,170El Paso, TX — $24,390Texarkana, TX-AR — $24,500San Angelo, TX — $24,960Altoona, PA — $25,020Brownsville-Harlingen, TX — $25,050Columbus, OH — $25,290Lubbock, TX — $25,500Wichita, KS — $25,580Lawton, OK — $25,600Enid, OK — $25,730Abilene, TX — $25,780Gadsden, AL — $25,900Springfield, OH — $25,980Dothan, AL — $26,020Amarillo, TX — $26,100Lima, OH — $26,210Akron, OH — $26,270Canton-Massillon, OH — $26,300Gettysburg, PA — $26,350Mansfield, OH — $26,360Anniston-Oxford, AL — $26,410Clarksville, TN-KY — $26,420Jackson, TN — $26,430Johnson City, TN — $26,430Fort Smith, AR-OK — $26,480Chambersburg, PA — $26,550Columbus, GA-AL — $26,560Jonesboro, AR — $26,580Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX — $26,610Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC — $26,610Pittsburgh, PA — $26,620Sherman-Denison, TX — $26,660Topeka, KS — $26,680McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX — $26,740Brunswick-St. Simons, GA — $26,750Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC — $26,780Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL — $26,820Lexington-Fayette, KY — $26,840Chattanooga, TN-GA — $26,890Warner Robins, GA — $26,920Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA — $26,930Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $26,940Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH — $26,950Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN — $26,990Ocala, FL — $27,040Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $27,070Midland, MI — $27,090Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC — $27,100Auburn-Opelika, AL — $27,120Monroe, MI — $27,120Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $27,230Lancaster, PA — $27,260Winston-Salem, NC — $27,280Morristown, TN — $27,310Burlington, NC — $27,450Waco, TX — $27,470Wilmington, NC — $27,500Odessa, TX — $27,520Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC — $27,550Knoxville, TN — $27,580Jacksonville, FL — $27,600Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV — $27,620Montgomery, AL — $27,650Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $27,690Mobile, AL — $27,700Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR — $27,710Terre Haute, IN — $27,800Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA — $27,840Greensboro-High Point, NC — $27,880Gainesville, GA — $27,890Oklahoma City, OK — $27,990Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL — $28,000Spartanburg, SC — $28,030Tuscaloosa, AL — $28,030Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL — $28,070Tulsa, OK — $28,100Asheville, NC — $28,120Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL — $28,120Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC — $28,210Raleigh-Cary, NC — $28,220Niles, MI — $28,240Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC — $28,290Birmingham, AL — $28,320Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $28,380Las Cruces, NM — $28,390Sioux City, IA-NE-SD — $28,390Lansing-East Lansing, MI — $28,400Port St. Lucie, FL — $28,410Winchester, VA-WV — $28,430Decatur, AL — $28,480Flint, MI — $28,510York-Hanover, PA — $28,520Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $28,580La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN — $28,590Jefferson City, MO — $28,600Joplin, MO-KS — $28,600Harrisonburg, VA — $28,680Eau Claire, WI — $28,700Farmington, NM — $28,730Green Bay, WI — $28,740Traverse City, MI — $28,740Fond du Lac, WI — $28,750Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ — $28,760Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI — $28,810Cape Girardeau, MO-IL — $28,820Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI — $28,820Bozeman, MT — $28,840Ogden, UT — $28,870Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $28,910Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL — $28,930Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $28,930Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $28,980Longview, TX — $28,990Killeen-Temple, TX — $29,020State College, PA — $29,020Cedar Rapids, IA — $29,040Appleton, WI — $29,050Kenosha, WI — $29,100Columbia, MO — $29,110Cleveland, OH — $29,120Urban Honolulu, HI — $29,120Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL — $29,160Roanoke, VA — $29,160Durham-Chapel Hill, NC — $29,190Springfield, MO — $29,190Iowa City, IA — $29,200Corpus Christi, TX — $29,230Bloomington, IN — $29,290Lynchburg, VA — $29,290Kalamazoo-Portage, MI — $29,300Huntsville, AL — $29,310Lincoln, NE — $29,430Jackson, MI — $29,460Cheyenne, WY — $29,470Dubuque, IA — $29,500Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN — $29,540South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI — $29,540Grand Forks, ND-MN — $29,550Richmond, VA — $29,570Wausau, WI — $29,600St. Joseph, MO-KS — $29,620Madison, WI — $29,640Ann Arbor, MI — $29,690Lawrence, KS — $29,700Fargo, ND-MN — $29,710Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $29,810Janesville-Beloit, WI — $29,930Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL — $29,940Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $29,940Grand Island, NE — $29,970Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $30,010Minot, ND — $30,030San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $30,110Idaho Falls, ID — $30,170Kansas City, MO-KS — $30,170Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $30,300Pocatello, ID — $30,320Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA — $30,360Reno, NV — $30,410Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL — $30,460Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $30,500Logan, UT-ID — $30,500Albuquerque, NM — $30,720Duluth, MN-WI — $30,790Tucson, AZ — $30,830St. Louis, MO-IL — $30,860Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $30,990St. Cloud, MN — $31,010Rapid City, SD — $31,190Dover, DE — $31,200Salisbury, MD — $31,200Omaha, NE-IA — $31,220Midland, TX — $31,240Naples-Marco Island, FL — $31,410Bloomington, IL — $31,430St. George, UT — $31,800Lexington Park, MD — $31,840Kankakee, IL — $31,900Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $32,220Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $32,240Peoria, IL — $32,340Charleston-North Charleston, SC — $32,380Boise City, ID — $32,810Champaign-Urbana, IL — $32,840North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL — $32,900Sioux Falls, SD-MN — $32,970Rochester, MN — $33,090Utica-Rome, NY — $33,100Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $33,190Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $33,290Rochester, NY — $33,380Rockford, IL — $33,380Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY — $33,690Salem, OR — $33,870Flagstaff, AZ — $33,950Anchorage, AK — $33,960Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV — $33,960Charlottesville, VA — $33,970Grand Junction, CO — $33,980Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $34,160Pueblo, CO — $34,180Waterbury-Shelton, CT — $34,180Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $34,210Lewiston, ID-WA — $34,270Binghamton, NY — $34,290Syracuse, NY — $34,490Bangor, ME — $34,560Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT — $34,700New Haven, CT — $34,850Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT — $34,880Corvallis, OR — $34,990Fort Collins-Loveland, CO — $35,230Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $35,260Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $35,360Lewiston-Auburn, ME — $35,470Glens Falls, NY — $35,490Springfield, MA — $35,490Eugene-Springfield, OR — $35,550Bend, OR — $35,600New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $35,780Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $35,800Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT — $35,810Greeley, CO — $35,840Boulder, CO — $36,250Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA — $36,260Portland-South Portland, ME — $36,310Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ — $36,350Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $36,380Longview-Kelso, WA — $36,550Colorado Springs, CO — $36,560Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA — $36,600Yakima, WA — $36,710Worcester, MA — $36,770Fairbanks-College, AK — $37,010Kennewick-Richland, WA — $37,030Kingston, NY — $37,150Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA — $37,850Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA — $37,910Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $38,000Santa Fe, NM — $38,000Carson City, NV — $38,210Bellingham, WA — $38,480Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $38,530Manchester-Nashua, NH — $38,550Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $38,560Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $38,580Burlington-South Burlington, VT — $38,690Missoula, MT — $39,080Barnstable Town, MA — $39,340Fresno, CA — $39,620Visalia, CA — $39,750Redding, CA — $39,920El Centro, CA — $40,230Chico, CA — $40,340Merced, CA — $40,430Hanford-Corcoran, CA — $41,280Bakersfield-Delano, CA — $41,480Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $41,600Stockton-Lodi, CA — $41,600Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $42,210Yuba City, CA — $42,320San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA — $42,390San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $42,450Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $42,480Modesto, CA — $42,510Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $42,530Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA — $42,700Salinas, CA — $43,120Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA — $43,630Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA — $43,840Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $44,030Vallejo, CA — $44,450Napa, CA — $45,300San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $46,670San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $47,220

Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.

The San Francisco metro area has the 2nd-highest published median for this occupation among the 308 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Other metro areas in California

Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for cooks, fast food, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.

  • San Francisco metro areathis page
    $46,670
  • San Jose metro area
    $47,220
  • Napa metro area
    $45,300
  • Vallejo metro area
    $44,450
  • Santa Rosa metro area
    $43,840
  • Santa Cruz metro area
    $43,630
  • Salinas metro area
    $43,120

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

Keep exploring

Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:

Fast Food and Counter Workers$43,870Waiters and Waitresses$38,860Cooks, Restaurant$46,030First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$51,520Food Preparation Workers$41,000Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers$39,310

Highest-paying metro areas for cooks, fast foods · Highest-paying occupations in San Francisco Metro

About this estimate

These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.

Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.