Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria · SOC 35-2012
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria Salary in the California
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025California
Figures describe the state of California as a whole.
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in the California earned a median of $46,390 per year ($22.31 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $37,570 at the 10th percentile to $59,630 at the 90th. BLS estimates 31,660 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in the California earn more than $46,390 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $40,240 and $52,060.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $37,570 | $40,240 | $46,390 | $52,060 | $59,630 |
| Hourly | $18.06 | $19.35 | $22.31 | $25.03 | $28.67 |
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.
How this area compares
- California$46,390 median for California; middle half earns $40,240 to $52,060
- United Statesnational$37,450 median for United States; middle half earns $32,440 to $44,800
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is +24% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Metro areas in California
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for cooks, institution and cafeteria, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Californiathis page$46,390 median for California; middle half earns $40,240 to $52,060
- $51,880 median for San Jose metro area; middle half earns $48,630 to $58,720
- $49,140 median for San Francisco metro area; middle half earns $45,910 to $57,020
- $48,210 median for Santa Maria metro area; middle half earns $40,630 to $57,660
- $48,060 median for Napa metro area; middle half earns $43,810 to $55,660
- $47,310 median for Hanford metro area; middle half earns $39,730 to $52,930
- $47,260 median for Santa Rosa metro area; middle half earns $43,680 to $51,990
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:
Highest-paying metro areas for cooks, institution and cafeterias · Highest-paying occupations in California
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.