Food Preparation Workers pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
$40,890avg. a year
$19.66 an hour · 9,360 employed
Food Preparation Workers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn an average of $40,890 a year. That is about the same as the California average of $41,480. The U.S. average is $35,290.
$38,780Median pay
$19.66Average hourly
-1%vs. California average
9,360Jobs in this metro
Other California metro areas
Average pay for food preparation workers in other California metro areas. Swipe to see all 24.
15,930 jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$45,660
$21.95 an hour
2620 jobs
Napa, CA
$44,240
$21.27 an hour
31,410 jobs
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
$43,450
$20.89 an hour
414,470 jobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$43,290
$20.81 an hour
5830 jobs
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
$42,060
$20.22 an hour
6930 jobs
Vallejo, CA
$41,390
$19.90 an hour
7900 jobs
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$41,340
$19.88 an hour
844,930 jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$41,220
$19.82 an hour
91,180 jobs
Salinas, CA
$41,130
$19.77 an hour
101,490 jobs
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
$40,830
$19.63 an hour
11260 jobs
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
$40,800
$19.62 an hour
12320 jobs
El Centro, CA
$40,610
$19.52 an hour
135,510 jobs
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
$40,600
$19.52 an hour
141,470 jobs
Stockton-Lodi, CA
$40,500
$19.47 an hour
1511,190 jobs
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
$40,490
$19.47 an hour
162,090 jobs
Fresno, CA
$40,450
$19.45 an hour
171,170 jobs
Modesto, CA
$40,410
$19.43 an hour
181,910 jobs
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
$40,340
$19.40 an hour
19460 jobs
Merced, CA
$40,150
$19.30 an hour
20320 jobs
Yuba City, CA
$39,630
$19.05 an hour
21760 jobs
Visalia, CA
$39,420
$18.95 an hour
22480 jobs
Chico, CA
$39,010
$18.76 an hour
231,950 jobs
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
$38,700
$18.61 an hour
24420 jobs
Redding, CA
$38,290
$18.41 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 Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Cooks, Restaurant | $45,770 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $41,710 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $40,870 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $47,700 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $51,490 |
| Bartenders | $46,900 |
Questions and answers
How much do food preparation workers make in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
The average is $40,890 a year, and the median is $38,780. About 9,360 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the California average?
That is about the same as the California average of $41,480.
Is this job common in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
It makes up 6.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 1.06 times the national share.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, occupation code 35-2021. Metro area: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 41740). 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.