San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a restaurant cook make in San Francisco-Oakland, CA?

In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area, restaurant cooks earned a median of $46,030 a year ($22.13 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 20,540 of these jobs there. That is 38% below the $74,260 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $40,720 and $58,940; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $38,341 in take-home pay.

Restaurant cook pay in San Francisco-Oakland, CA at a glance

Median salary

$46,030$22.13 per hour · $3,836 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$40,720$19.58/hr
25th percentile$44,340$21.32/hr
75th percentile$49,360$23.73/hr
90th percentile$58,940$28.34/hr
Jobs in this metro20,540Location quotient 0.95 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here38% belowAll-jobs median $74,260
Against California3% aboveStatewide median $44,880
Against the U.S.23% aboveNational median $37,390

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Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Restaurant cook salary in San Francisco-Oakland, CA after taxes

$46,030
$15,000$95,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$46,030
Net 83%
Fed 7%
CA 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$38,341After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,195Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,475Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.7%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,344 / yr
California state income tax$824 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,521 / yr

Restaurant cooks 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.

What restaurant cooks earned in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$19.58/hr$3,393$40,720$34,287
25th percentile$21.32/hr$3,695$44,340$37,051
MedianMedian$22.13/hr$3,836$46,030$38,341
75th percentile$23.73/hr$4,113$49,360$40,840
90th percentile$28.34/hr$4,912$58,940$47,962

Is $46,030 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 restaurant cooks next to both.

Median household income$136,027Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)115.615.6% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household33.8%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Do restaurant cooks pay tax on tips?

Yes, but less than before. This job is on the Treasury's list of tipped occupations, so from 2025 through 2028 up to $25,000 a year of reported tips comes off federal taxable income, shrinking above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint). Social Security and Medicare are still owed on every tip, and most states still tax them. The BLS pay figures on this page already include tips as employers report them.

See what the tips deduction saves you →

Restaurant cook pay in San Francisco-Oakland, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area was $46,030 in May 2025, about $3,836 a month or $22.13 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $44,880, so the metro pays 3% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA was $22.13 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $19.58 an hour and one in ten earned more than $28.34.

How many restaurant cooks work in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

BLS estimated 20,540 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 8.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.95 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for restaurant cooks in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA run from $40,720 at the 10th percentile to $44,340 at the 25th, $49,360 at the 75th, and $58,940 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

On a median gross salary of $46,030, an estimated $38,341 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,475 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $7,689 (an effective rate of 16.7%).

How much do restaurant cooks make per month in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

On the median annual salary of $46,030, gross monthly income is $3,836. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,195 per month (or $1,475 every two weeks).

Is $46,030 a good salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

At $46,030, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 33.8% of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median household income ($136,027). It is 38% 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.