Institution and Cafeteria Cooks Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for institution and cafeteria cooks in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of institution and cafeteria cooks among California areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Institution and Cafeteria Cooks in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$34,360
25th Percentile Wage
$36,300
50th Percentile Wage
$40,320
75th Percentile Wage
$46,940
90th Percentile Wage
$57,140

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for institution and cafeteria cooks in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $57,140. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $40,320. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $34,360.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of institution and cafeteria cooks from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$40,320
5.03% 29.94%
2021
$38,290
3.84% -
2020
$36,820
5.19% -
2019
$34,910
3.41% -
2018
$33,720
4.03% -
2017
$32,360
4.36% -
2016
$30,950
4.23% -
2015
$29,640
1.08% -
2014
$29,320
2.66% -
2013
$28,540
1.02% -
2012
$28,250
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Institution and Cafeteria Cooks in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of institution and cafeteria cooks in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of institution and cafeteria cooks in state of California ranges from $28,800 to $49,240. The highest paying area for institution and cafeteria cooks in California is Napa with a median annual salary of $49,240. The second highest paying city/area in California State is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (mean annual salary $45,230). The lowest paying area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana with a median annual salary of $28,800.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
Napa
$49,240
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$45,230
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$45,040
Hanford-Corcoran
$43,350
Vallejo-Fairfield
$42,990
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$42,920
Salinas
$42,500
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
$41,200
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$41,170
Merced
$41,060
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$40,970
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
$40,550
El Centro
$39,920
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$38,880
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$38,790
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$38,540
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$38,410
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$38,260
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$38,000
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$37,850
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$37,630
Fresno
$37,180
Bakersfield-Delano
$37,020
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$36,840
Stockton
$36,810
Modesto
$36,790
Yuba City
$36,550
Madera-Chowchilla
$36,370
Visalia-Porterville
$36,120
Redding
$36,110
Eastern Sierra Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$35,720
Chico
$35,500
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$35,420
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$34,390
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$32,120
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$31,990
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$29,740
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$28,950
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$28,800