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Restaurant Cooks in California

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Restaurant Cooks in California

Want to work in California as a Restaurant Cook? Read this first!

17.7% Jobs Projection
$29,130 Median Salary
22,870 Job Openings

You’re in luck! Jobs for Restaurant Cooks in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

  • Projected employment for Restaurant Cooks in California is growing faster than average.

  • Restaurant Cooks in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

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.

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The typical state has 17,110 Restaurant Cooks working in it, which means California has more Restaurant Cooks than average.

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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%.

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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

Discover similar careers:

Occupation CA Employment Total

What Major Will Prepare You For a Restaurant Cook Career?

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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