Cooks, Restaurant salary in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Cooks, Restaurant in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Cooks, Restaurant in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earns $44,460 a year ($21.38 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Cooks, Restaurant in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn between $38,290 and $47,330 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $37,230 or less and the top 10 percent earn $55,010 or more. BLS estimates 54,320 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area — 8.661 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.96 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 3.9% of all Cooks, Restaurant employment in the United States (1,409,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is the #2 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Cooks, Restaurant. In aggregate, Cooks, Restaurant in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn about $2.43 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $36,816.36 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Cooks, Restaurant is about $2.00 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA stands #6 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Cooks, Restaurant. By employment, Cooks, Restaurant is the #20 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Cooks, Restaurant, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $44,460 falls between the national median ($37,390) and the national 75th percentile ($44,620). Across all occupations, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median is $55,850 a year — Cooks, Restaurant pay is 20.4% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $21.52 | $44,750 |
| 10th percentile | $17.90 | $37,230 |
| 25th percentile | $18.41 | $38,290 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $21.38 | $44,460 |
| 75th percentile | $22.76 | $47,330 |
| 90th percentile | $26.45 | $55,010 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Cooks, Restaurant in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($55,010 against $37,230). The middle half spans $9,040 — from $38,290 to $47,330. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($26.45) is 1.48 times the 10th ($17.90). In the upper half of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $47,330 takes home $38,752.60 and the 90th percentile wage of $55,010 takes home $44,391.34 — $5,638.74 more net for $7,680 more gross. Against the median take-home of $36,598.90, the top decile keeps 1.21 times as much. The mean wage of $44,750 sits 0.7% above the median: higher-paid Cooks, Restaurant pull the average up in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, Cooks, Restaurant ranks #21 by median pay. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Cooks, Restaurant sits between Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators at $46,190 and Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand at $42,390. Cooks, Restaurant accounts for 0.9% of all employment in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 24,720 Cooks, Restaurant; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA employs 2.2 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $44,460.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,155.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,756.52 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $644.67 |
| California income tax | $726.70 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $577.98 |
| Total deductions | $7,861.10 |
| Net pay (annual) | $36,598.90 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,407.65 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.68% of gross |
At the median, $36,598.90 of the $44,460 gross is kept ($1,407.65 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.68%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.27% at the 10th percentile, 16.51% at the 25th percentile, 18.12% at the 75th percentile, 19.30% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,784.24 on a gross rise of $9,040.
The same engine at the other published points of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($37,230) | $31,172.78 | $1,198.95 | 16.27% |
| 25th percentile ($38,290) | $31,968.36 | $1,229.55 | 16.51% |
| Median ($44,460) | $36,598.90 | $1,407.65 | 17.68% |
| 75th percentile ($47,330) | $38,752.60 | $1,490.48 | 18.12% |
| 90th percentile ($55,010) | $44,391.34 | $1,707.36 | 19.30% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $31,172.78 a year at the 10th percentile to $44,391.34 at the 90th — a spread of $13,218.56 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median wage of $55,850 takes home $45,005.40 a year ($1,730.98 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.42%). The Cooks, Restaurant median take-home of $36,598.90 sits $8,406.50 (below that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Cooks, Restaurant earns $37,390 a year ($17.98 an hour). The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $44,460 is $7,070 (18.9%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $44,750 a year in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA against $38,730 nationally, a gap of $6,020 (15.5%).
Set against the whole local market, the Cooks, Restaurant 90th percentile of $55,010 is 39% of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($141,370), and its 10th percentile of $37,230 is 104% of the area-wide 10th ($35,870).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $44,460 | $21.38 | $44,750 |
| United States | $37,390 | $17.98 | $38,730 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Cooks, Restaurant in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
$44,460 a year ($21.38 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $44,750 a year. Ranked by median pay, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA stands #6 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $44,460 in California?
About $36,598.90 a year ($1,407.65 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.68% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $47,330, take-home is $38,752.60.
How does pay in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA compare with the national median for Cooks, Restaurant?
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median of $44,460 is $7,070 (18.9%) above the national median of $37,390 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $55,010, against a national 90th percentile of $47,900.
How much do the top 10% of Cooks, Restaurant earn in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
$55,010 a year or more ($26.45 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Cooks, Restaurant in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
On $55,010 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $44,391.34 a year ($1,707.36 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.30%.
How many Cooks, Restaurant jobs are there in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
BLS estimates 54,320 Cooks, Restaurant jobs in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area — 8.661 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Cooks, Restaurant jobs in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
The location quotient is 0.96 — about the same concentration as the nation. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Cooks, Restaurant in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
From $31,172.78 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($37,230) to $44,391.34 at the 90th ($55,010), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Cooks, Restaurant in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
About $2.43 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 54,320 multiplied by the mean wage of $44,750.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.