Chefs and Head Cooks pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$73,910avg. a year
$35.53 an hour · 5,340 employed
Chefs and Head Cooks in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earn an average of $73,910 a year. That is $4,780 (7%) more than the California average of $69,130. The U.S. average is $66,700.
$68,970Median pay
$35.53Average hourly
+7%vs. California average
5,340Jobs in this metro
Other California metro areas
Average pay for chefs and head cooks in other California metro areas. Swipe to see all 23.
1300 jobs
Napa, CA
$83,750
$40.26 an hour
21,280 jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$80,150
$38.53 an hour
3360 jobs
Salinas, CA
$76,270
$36.67 an hour
4460 jobs
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
$71,510
$34.38 an hour
5520 jobs
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
$69,830
$33.57 an hour
611,430 jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$69,260
$33.30 an hour
7170 jobs
Vallejo, CA
$68,430
$32.90 an hour
8170 jobs
Modesto, CA
$67,600
$32.50 an hour
92,770 jobs
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
$67,030
$32.23 an hour
1090 jobs
Merced, CA
$65,520
$31.50 an hour
11480 jobs
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
$65,020
$31.26 an hour
123,890 jobs
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
$64,780
$31.15 an hour
131,630 jobs
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
$63,500
$30.53 an hour
14270 jobs
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$63,330
$30.45 an hour
15490 jobs
Fresno, CA
$62,980
$30.28 an hour
16200 jobs
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
$62,350
$29.98 an hour
1770 jobs
Redding, CA
$62,130
$29.87 an hour
18290 jobs
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
$60,510
$29.09 an hour
19320 jobs
Stockton-Lodi, CA
$60,320
$29.00 an hour
20160 jobs
Visalia, CA
$59,260
$28.49 an hour
21110 jobs
Chico, CA
$57,210
$27.51 an hour
2270 jobs
Yuba City, CA
$56,590
$27.21 an hour
2360 jobs
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
$55,840
$26.85 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
How San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroCaliforniaU.S.
California metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $58,080 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $44,620 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $46,460 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | $48,630 |
| Food Preparation Workers | $43,290 |
| Bartenders | $50,970 |
Questions and answers
How much do chefs and head cooks make in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
The average is $73,910 a year, and the median is $68,970. About 5,340 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the California average?
That is $4,780 (7%) more than the California average of $69,130.
Is this job common in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
It makes up 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 1.75 times the national share.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, occupation code 35-1011. Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 41860). Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.