Food preparation worker pay in San Francisco-Oakland, CA at a glance
Median salary
$41,000$19.71 per hour · $3,417 monthly · BLS May 2025Run the numbers on your own pay
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Food preparation worker salary in San Francisco-Oakland, CA after taxes
Food preparation workers pay range in San Francisco-Oakland, CA, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.
| Percentile | Hourly | Monthly | Yearly | After tax a year (CA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.60/hr | $3,050 | $36,600 | $31,141 |
| 25th percentile | $18.23/hr | $3,159 | $37,910 | $32,142 |
| MedianMedian | $19.71/hr | $3,417 | $41,000 | $34,501 |
| 75th percentile | $22.45/hr | $3,892 | $46,700 | $38,853 |
| 90th percentile | $26.09/hr | $4,523 | $54,270 | $44,490 |
Is $41,000 a good salary in San Francisco-Oakland, CA?
It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for food preparation workers next to both.
Food preparation workers pay in California and across the U.S.
The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.
Food preparation worker pay in San Francisco-Oakland, CA: common questions
What is the median salary for food preparation workers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
The BLS median annual wage for food preparation workers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area was $41,000 in May 2025, about $3,417 a month or $19.71 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $39,350, so the metro pays 4% above the state.
What is the hourly pay for food preparation workers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
The median hourly wage for food preparation workers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA was $19.71 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $17.60 an hour and one in ten earned more than $26.09.
How many food preparation workers work in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
BLS estimated 14,470 jobs for food preparation workers in the metro in May 2025, or 6.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.06 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.
What is the pay range for food preparation workers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
BLS wage estimates for food preparation workers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA run from $36,600 at the 10th percentile to $37,910 at the 25th, $46,700 at the 75th, and $54,270 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do food preparation workers take home after taxes in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
On a median gross salary of $41,000, an estimated $34,501 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,327 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,499 (an effective rate of 15.9%).
How much do food preparation workers make per month in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
On the median annual salary of $41,000, gross monthly income is $3,417. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,875 per month (or $1,327 every two weeks).
Is $41,000 a good salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
At $41,000, the median salary for food preparation workers is 30.1% of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median household income ($136,027). It is 45% below the $74,260 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 115.6, so prices here run 15.6% above the U.S. average.