Quick answer
Restaurant Cooks in California earned a median of $44,880 a year ($21.58 an hour) in May 2025, 20% above the national median of $37,390; 152,250 were employed there, ranking #7 of 54 states and territories by median pay, per BLS OEWS.
Data as of May 2025. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025
| Measure | California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $44,880 | $37,390 |
| Mean annual wage | $45,020 | $38,730 |
| Median hourly wage | $21.58 | $17.98 |
| 10th percentile | $37,100 | $28,700 |
| 25th percentile | $38,590 | $34,010 |
| 75th percentile | $47,330 | $44,620 |
| 90th percentile | $55,580 | $47,900 |
| Employment | 152,250 | 1,409,890 |
| Jobs per 1,000 | 8.359 | — |
| Location quotient | 0.92 | 1.00 |
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- Restaurant Cooks salary in District of Columbia (May 2025)
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Last updated 2026-10-16. Data only, not financial or tax advice.