SOC 35-2014 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Cooks, Restaurant — Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · 10 metro areas compared
In Santa Cruz, CA the median wage for Cooks, Restaurant is $44,560 a year, which is 19.2% higher than the national figure of $37,390.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow much faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +14.9%
- Openings per year
- 250,700
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
In Santa Cruz, CA the median wage for Cooks, Restaurant is $44,560 a year, which is 19.2% higher than the national figure of $37,390. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $38,360 and $47,200. The lowest tenth earn under $37,170, while the highest tenth earn more than $49,840.
The area has 1,020 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 10.4 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Napa records the highest median at $47,320. Of the 328 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 273rd.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $37,170 | −0.6% |
| 25th | $38,360 | +2.6% |
| Median (50th) | $44,560 | +19.2% |
| 75th | $47,200 | +26.2% |
| 90th | $49,840 | +33.3% |
| Mean | $44,090 | +17.9% |
Other metro areas in California
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Napa | $47,320 | 1,270 | |
| 2 | San Jose | $47,170 | 8,900 | |
| 3 | San Diego | $46,440 | 15,670 | |
| 4 | San Francisco | $46,030 | 20,540 | |
| 5 | Santa Rosa | $45,720 | 2,340 | |
| 6 | Salinas | $44,930 | 1,910 | |
| 7 | Los Angeles | $44,460 | 54,320 | |
| 8 | Sacramento | $44,230 | 9,240 | |
| 9 | Vallejo | $44,100 | 1,020 | |
| 10 | Santa Maria | $43,340 | 2,300 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Santa Cruz run 9.9% above the national average, so the median of $44,560 buys what $40,546 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 8.4% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$44,560as reported by BLSLocal price level
109.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$40,546US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $44,560 a year, 19.2% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $37,170 to $49,840 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 1,020 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Napa, at $47,320.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Cooks, Restaurant in Santa Cruz, CA?
The median annual wage is $44,560, or $21.42 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $37,390, so pay in Santa Cruz, CA is 19.2% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Santa Cruz, CA earns more than $49,840 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $37,170 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Napa, at $47,320 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 1,020 jobs in this occupation in Santa Cruz, CA. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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