Food preparation worker pay in San Luis Obispo, CA at a glance
Median salary
$38,550$18.53 per hour · $3,213 monthly · BLS May 2025Run the numbers on your own pay
Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.
Food preparation worker salary in San Luis Obispo, CA after taxes
Food preparation workers pay range in San Luis Obispo, CA, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, 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 | $16.95/hr | $2,938 | $35,250 | $30,111 |
| 25th percentile | $17.35/hr | $3,007 | $36,080 | $30,744 |
| MedianMedian | $18.53/hr | $3,213 | $38,550 | $32,630 |
| 75th percentile | $21.10/hr | $3,658 | $43,890 | $36,707 |
| 90th percentile | $24.45/hr | $4,238 | $50,850 | $41,947 |
Is $38,550 a good salary in San Luis Obispo, 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 Luis Obispo, CA: common questions
What is the median salary for food preparation workers in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
The BLS median annual wage for food preparation workers in the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro area was $38,550 in May 2025, about $3,213 a month or $18.53 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $39,350, so the metro pays 2% below the state.
What is the hourly pay for food preparation workers in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
The median hourly wage for food preparation workers in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA was $18.53 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.95 an hour and one in ten earned more than $24.45.
How many food preparation workers work in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
BLS estimated 900 jobs for food preparation workers in the metro in May 2025, or 7.3 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.28 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 Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
BLS wage estimates for food preparation workers in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA run from $35,250 at the 10th percentile to $36,080 at the 25th, $43,890 at the 75th, and $50,850 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 Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
On a median gross salary of $38,550, an estimated $32,630 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,255 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,920 (an effective rate of 15.4%).
How much do food preparation workers make per month in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
On the median annual salary of $38,550, gross monthly income is $3,213. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,719 per month (or $1,255 every two weeks).
Is $38,550 a good salary in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA?
At $38,550, the median salary for food preparation workers is 39.6% of the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA median household income ($97,446). It is 24% below the $50,770 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 108.6, so prices here run 8.6% above the U.S. average.