Food Preparation Workers pay in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$45,660avg. a year
$21.95 an hour · 5,930 employed
Food Preparation Workers in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area earn an average of $45,660 a year. That is $4,180 (10%) more than the California average of $41,480. The U.S. average is $35,290.
$45,580Median pay
$21.95Average hourly
+10%vs. California average
5,930Jobs in this metro
Other California metro areas
Average pay for food preparation workers in other California metro areas. Swipe to see all 24.
1620 jobs
Napa, CA
$44,240
$21.27 an hour
21,410 jobs
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
$43,450
$20.89 an hour
314,470 jobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$43,290
$20.81 an hour
4830 jobs
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
$42,060
$20.22 an hour
5930 jobs
Vallejo, CA
$41,390
$19.90 an hour
6900 jobs
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$41,340
$19.88 an hour
744,930 jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$41,220
$19.82 an hour
81,180 jobs
Salinas, CA
$41,130
$19.77 an hour
99,360 jobs
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
$40,890
$19.66 an hour
101,490 jobs
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
$40,830
$19.63 an hour
11260 jobs
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
$40,800
$19.62 an hour
12320 jobs
El Centro, CA
$40,610
$19.52 an hour
135,510 jobs
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
$40,600
$19.52 an hour
141,470 jobs
Stockton-Lodi, CA
$40,500
$19.47 an hour
1511,190 jobs
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
$40,490
$19.47 an hour
162,090 jobs
Fresno, CA
$40,450
$19.45 an hour
171,170 jobs
Modesto, CA
$40,410
$19.43 an hour
181,910 jobs
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
$40,340
$19.40 an hour
19460 jobs
Merced, CA
$40,150
$19.30 an hour
20320 jobs
Yuba City, CA
$39,630
$19.05 an hour
21760 jobs
Visalia, CA
$39,420
$18.95 an hour
22480 jobs
Chico, CA
$39,010
$18.76 an hour
231,950 jobs
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
$38,700
$18.61 an hour
24420 jobs
Redding, CA
$38,290
$18.41 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
How San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroCaliforniaU.S.
California metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Cooks, Restaurant | $49,390 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $46,530 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $44,980 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $52,010 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $58,780 |
| Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | $54,290 |
Questions and answers
How much do food preparation workers make in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara?
The average is $45,660 a year, and the median is $45,580. About 5,930 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the California average?
That is $4,180 (10%) more than the California average of $41,480.
Is this job common in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara?
It makes up 5.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 0.91 times the national share.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, occupation code 35-2021. Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 41940). Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.