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Restaurant Cooks in California
Want to work in California as a Restaurant Cook? Read this first!
You’re in luck! Jobs for Restaurant Cooks in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.
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Projected employment for Restaurant Cooks in California is growing faster than average.
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Restaurant Cooks in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.
What Major Will Prepare You For a Restaurant Cook Career?
- Personal & Culinary Services
- Culinary Arts
- General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts
- Culinary Arts/Chef Training
How Many Restaurant Cooks Work in California?
166,420 people worked as Restaurant Cooks in 2018 in this state.
There were 145,650 Restaurant Cooks employed in this state in 2017.
That’s growth of 20,770 jobs between 2017 and 2018.
The typical state has 17,110 Restaurant Cooks working in it, which means California has more Restaurant Cooks than average.
Job Projections for California
Jobs for Restaurant Cooks in this state are growing at a rate of 17.7% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 11.8%.
California Annual Job Openings
The BLS estimates there will be 22,870 annual job openings, and 159,700 total jobs in 2026 for Restaurant Cooks in this state.
Nationwide, the prediction is 195,300 annual jobs and 1,377,200 total jobs in 2026.
What do Restaurant Cooks Make in California?
In 2018 wages for Restaurant Cooks ranged from $23,270 to $39,610 with $29,130 being the median annual salary.
Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $11.19 to $19.04. The median hourly rate was $14.01.
In 2017 the median pay for this field was $13.62 an hour.
The hourly rate grew by $0.39.
The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.
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Top California Metros for Restaurant Cooks
The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Restaurant Cooks.
| Metro | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 61,160 | $28,540 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | 26,570 | $32,630 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | 17,850 | $28,920 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 12,370 | $27,970 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 9,280 | $31,470 |
| Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA | 8,910 | $26,470 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 2,930 | $27,640 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 2,850 | $28,840 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | 2,840 | $31,350 |
| Fresno, CA | 2,200 | $27,510 |
| Salinas, CA | 1,950 | $31,470 |
| Bakersfield, CA | 1,770 | $27,590 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 1,530 | $30,440 |
| Modesto, CA | 1,520 | $25,210 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA | 1,500 | $29,910 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 1,400 | $28,270 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | 1,220 | $29,220 |
| Chico, CA | 1,110 | $25,170 |
| Napa, CA | 1,090 | $31,370 |
| Visalia-Porterville, CA | 1,010 | $26,930 |
| Redding, CA | 640 | $27,970 |
| Yuba City, CA | 440 | $28,150 |
| El Centro, CA | 370 | $27,260 |
| Madera, CA | 270 | $27,730 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 220 | $29,910 |
| Merced, CA | 180 | $27,880 |
Top States for Restaurant Cooks Employment
View the list below to see where most Restaurant Cooks work.
| State | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| California | 166,420 | $29,130 |
| Florida | 110,600 | $26,960 |
| Texas | 110,440 | $24,980 |
| New York | 73,340 | $28,100 |
| Pennsylvania | 55,980 | $25,290 |
| Illinois | 48,660 | $27,350 |
| North Carolina | 47,350 | $23,630 |
| Georgia | 37,770 | $23,430 |
| Ohio | 37,220 | $24,730 |
| Michigan | 37,160 | $24,120 |
| Virginia | 33,380 | $24,930 |
| Colorado | 32,910 | $28,460 |
| Washington | 32,510 | $31,950 |
| Massachusetts | 29,880 | $30,720 |
| Missouri | 28,990 | $24,150 |
| Minnesota | 28,480 | $28,810 |
| Indiana | 27,890 | $23,350 |
| Arizona | 25,570 | $26,950 |
| Wisconsin | 24,540 | $25,150 |
| South Carolina | 24,430 | $22,840 |
Below are the states where Restaurant Cooks get paid the most:
| State | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $32,580 |
| Washington | $31,950 |
| New Jersey | $30,870 |
| Hawaii | $30,830 |
| Massachusetts | $30,720 |
| Vermont | $30,620 |
| Rhode Island | $30,130 |
| Nevada | $30,060 |
| Alaska | $29,270 |
| Connecticut | $29,170 |
Related Careers in California
Discover similar careers:
| Occupation | California Employment Total |
|---|---|
| Cooks, Fast Food | 111,360 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | 29,470 |
| Cooks, Short Order | 16,590 |
| Cooks, Private Household | 170 |
References
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- Image Credit: By U.S. Army Europe Images under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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