Chefs and Head Cooks Salary in California

Ranked #14 of 51 · CA

3.6% above U.S. average
Mean annual salary $69,130 ≈ $33/hr
Median annual salary $64,500
Employment 31,670

Salary Distribution (10th–90th percentile)

P10 $37,380P25 $46,320 Median $64,500P75 $81,040P90 $101,870

About 80% of chefs and head cookss in California earn between $37,380 and $101,870. The blue band is the middle 50% (P25–P75); the dot marks the median.

Compared to the U.S.

California
$69,130
U.S. average
$66,700

The mean chefs and head cooks salary in California is $69,130, about 3.6% above the U.S. average ($66,700). That works out to roughly $33/hr at 2,080 hours per year.

Metro Areas in California

Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $79,020 $80,150 1,280
Napa, CA $78,960 $83,750 300
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $73,570 $71,510 460
Salinas, CA $72,440 $76,270 360
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $69,990 $69,260 11,430
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $68,970 $73,910 5,340
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $65,060 $69,830 520
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $64,480 $67,030 2,770

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