Food preparation worker pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a glance
Median salary
$39,110$18.80 per hour · $3,259 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after taxes
Food preparation workers pay range in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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 | $16.91/hr | $2,931 | $35,170 | $30,050 |
| 25th percentile | $17.70/hr | $3,068 | $36,810 | $31,302 |
| MedianMedian | $18.80/hr | $3,259 | $39,110 | $33,058 |
| 75th percentile | $21.77/hr | $3,773 | $45,280 | $37,769 |
| 90th percentile | $24.30/hr | $4,212 | $50,540 | $41,717 |
Is $39,110 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: common questions
What is the median salary for food preparation workers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The BLS median annual wage for food preparation workers in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area was $39,110 in May 2025, about $3,259 a month or $18.80 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $39,350, so the metro pays 1% below the state.
What is the hourly pay for food preparation workers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The median hourly wage for food preparation workers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was $18.80 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.91 an hour and one in ten earned more than $24.30.
How many food preparation workers work in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
BLS estimated 830 jobs for food preparation workers in the metro in May 2025, or 8.4 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.46 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.
What is the pay range for food preparation workers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
BLS wage estimates for food preparation workers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run from $35,170 at the 10th percentile to $36,810 at the 25th, $45,280 at the 75th, and $50,540 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do food preparation workers take home after taxes in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
On a median gross salary of $39,110, an estimated $33,058 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,271 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,052 (an effective rate of 15.5%).
How much do food preparation workers make per month in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
On the median annual salary of $39,110, gross monthly income is $3,259. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,755 per month (or $1,271 every two weeks).
Is $39,110 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
At $39,110, the median salary for food preparation workers is 35.2% of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median household income ($111,093). It is 29% below the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 109.9, so prices here run 9.9% above the U.S. average.