Cooks, Restaurant pay in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$49,390avg. a year
$23.75 an hour · 8,900 employed
Cooks, Restaurant in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area earn an average of $49,390 a year. That is $4,370 (10%) more than the California average of $45,020. The U.S. average is $38,730.
$47,170Median pay
$23.75Average hourly
+10%vs. California average
8,900Jobs in this metro
Other California metro areas
Average pay for cooks, restaurant in other California metro areas. Swipe to see all 24.
120,540 jobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$48,630
$23.38 an hour
21,270 jobs
Napa, CA
$47,830
$22.99 an hour
32,340 jobs
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
$46,470
$22.34 an hour
415,670 jobs
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
$45,770
$22.00 an hour
51,910 jobs
Salinas, CA
$45,310
$21.78 an hour
654,320 jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$44,750
$21.52 an hour
71,020 jobs
Vallejo, CA
$44,200
$21.25 an hour
81,020 jobs
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
$44,090
$21.20 an hour
92,300 jobs
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
$43,580
$20.95 an hour
109,240 jobs
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
$43,220
$20.78 an hour
111,640 jobs
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$43,020
$20.68 an hour
1214,280 jobs
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
$42,750
$20.55 an hour
133,000 jobs
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
$42,550
$20.46 an hour
141,560 jobs
Stockton-Lodi, CA
$42,430
$20.40 an hour
151,300 jobs
Modesto, CA
$42,220
$20.30 an hour
16400 jobs
Yuba City, CA
$41,620
$20.01 an hour
17410 jobs
Merced, CA
$40,920
$19.67 an hour
182,980 jobs
Fresno, CA
$40,460
$19.45 an hour
19500 jobs
Redding, CA
$40,390
$19.42 an hour
20260 jobs
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
$40,190
$19.32 an hour
21600 jobs
Chico, CA
$40,100
$19.28 an hour
222,100 jobs
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
$40,050
$19.26 an hour
23380 jobs
El Centro, CA
$39,760
$19.12 an hour
241,000 jobs
Visalia, CA
$39,610
$19.04 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Food Preparation Workers | $45,660 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $46,530 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $44,980 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $52,010 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $58,780 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $54,290 |
Questions and answers
How much do cooks, restaurant make in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara?
The average is $49,390 a year, and the median is $47,170. About 8,900 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the California average?
That is $4,370 (10%) more than the California average of $45,020.
Is this job common in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara?
It makes up 7.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 0.86 times the national share.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, occupation code 35-2014. Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 41940). 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.