Cooks, Fast Food salary in California
The median cooks, fast food in California earns $42,050 a year, 36% above the US median. After tax that is roughly $2,752 a month.
- 10th percentile
- $35,750
- 25th percentile
- $37,260
- Median percentile
- $42,050
- 75th percentile
- $43,300
- 90th percentile
- $48,750
Based on 124,440 employed. Data period: BLS OEWS May 2025. Percentiles show the spread of pay, not experience; reading the 25th percentile as "entry level" is only an approximation.
What you keep
$33,024 take-home a year
| Gross pay | $42,050 |
| Federal income tax | −$2,866 |
| Social Security + Medicare | −$3,217 |
| California income tax (approx.) | −$2,944 |
| Monthly take-home | $2,752 |
| Every two weeks | $1,270 |
Does it go far here?
$37,979Median pay in California is worth this at average US prices (local price level 110.7 vs 100).
74%of take-home pay goes to the median rent ($2,036 a month, Census ACS).
Top-paying jobs in California
| Job | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $400,150 |
| Neurologists | $357,080 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $353,900 |
| Psychiatrists | $353,500 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $313,890 |
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $301,240 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $292,410 |
| Physicians, All Other | $281,590 |