Cooks, Fast Food salary
in Salinas, CA
- Middle 50%
- $37,020–$44,060
- vs U.S. median
- +40%
- Metro rank
- #8 of 332
Cooks, Fast Food in the Salinas, CA metro earn a median of $43,120 a year, based on BLS estimates for 1,100 jobs (May 2025). That is 40% above the U.S. median of $30,890 and 3% above the CA statewide median of $42,050. It ranks #8 of 332 metros with published figures for this job.
- SOURCEBLS OEWS, May 2025
- SAMPLE1,100 jobs (estimate)
- SCOPEall employers, all experience levels
- PERIODMay 2025 estimates
Full percentile breakdown
BLS · metro vs U.S.
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Cooks, Fast Food pay in other CA metros
8 metros · BLS
| Metro | Median |
|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $47,220 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $46,670 |
| Napa, CA | $45,300 |
| Vallejo, CA | $44,450 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $43,840 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $43,630 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $42,700 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $42,530 |
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RELATED JOBS IN SALINAS
Questions
What is the average Cooks, Fast Food salary in Salinas?
The BLS median is $43,120 a year (May 2025). Half of the 1,100 jobs pay between $37,020 and $44,060. The 10th percentile is $35,130 and the 90th is $47,010.
Is Salinas a high-paying metro for Cooks, Fast Food?
That is 40% above the U.S. median of $30,890 and 3% above the CA statewide median of $42,050. It ranks #8 of 332 U.S. metros with published BLS figures for this job.
How much do Cooks, Fast Food make an hour in Salinas?
About $20.73 an hour at the median (the BLS annual figure of $43,120 divided by 2,080 hours, the conversion BLS uses). The middle half earn about $17.80–$21.18 an hour. Straight-time pay, before overtime and shift differentials.
Does this include experience levels?
BLS figures cover all experience levels together. Employer filings carry a DOL wage level, which the free checker can filter by (approximate).
Sources: U.S. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national + state) (metro area estimates, all employers); employer rows from U.S. DOL OFLC LCA Disclosure Data, FY2026 Q3 (LCA_Disclosure_Data_FY2026_Q3.xlsx). Base pay only. Estimates can have sampling error, especially for smaller metros.