The annual salary statistics of chefs and head cooks in Merced, California is shown in Table 1. The wage statistics of chefs and head cooks in Merced is based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $36,660 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $51,800 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $75,390 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $94,560 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $94,560 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for chefs and head cooks in Merced, California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $94,560. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $75,390. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent earners is $36,660.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of chefs and head cooks from 2012 to 2022.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 10-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $75,390 | 37.26% | 33.81% |
| 2021 | $47,300 | 6.87% | - |
| 2020 | $44,050 | -6.70% | - |
| 2019 | $47,000 | 4.66% | - |
| 2018 | $44,810 | 13.30% | - |
| 2017 | $38,850 | -28.44% | - |
| 2016 | $49,900 | 0.00% | - |
| 2012 | $49,900 | - | - |
From Table 3 we note that with a median annual salary of $75,390, Merced is the highest paying city for chefs and head cooks in state of California, followed by Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area (median annual salary $73,680). In comparison, the median annual salary of chefs and head cooks in Merced is 2.3 percent (2.3%) higher than that in Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area.