Cooks, Fast Food Salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the median annual wage for Cooks, Fast Food in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is $43,630. BLS estimates approximately 710 people work in this occupation in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 41.2% above the national median ($30,890).
Salary Distribution
Not everyone earns the median. Percentile wages show the range of pay within this occupation.
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,930 | $17.76 |
| 25th percentile | $37,760 | $18.15 |
| Median (50th) | $43,630 | $20.98 |
| 75th percentile | $44,160 | $21.23 |
| 90th percentile | $44,590 | $21.44 |
Data Reliability
BLS OEWS is a survey, not a full census — every estimate carries a margin of error. The relative standard error (RSE) below is BLS’s own measure of how much an estimate could vary; lower is more precise.
- Wage estimate
- RSE 1.1% — Very reliable
- Employment estimate
- RSE 8.5% — Reliable
Where Does Your Salary Fall?
Enter an annual salary to see roughly where it falls among reported wages for this occupation, based on the percentile points above.
Concentration
- Jobs per 1,000
- 7.161
- Location quotient
- 1.74
Cost-of-Living Adjusted Salary
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA’s regional price level is above the national average (index 109.896, where 100 = U.S. average). Adjusted for that, the median salary has the purchasing power of $39,701 at the national price level.
This is a Career Atlas USA calculation based on BLS wage data and BEA Regional Price Parities. It is not a separate BLS wage estimate. Wage data: May 2025. Cost-of-living data: 2024.
Sources
Wage data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — May 2025 (release 25).
Figures shown as “Not available” reflect wages the source does not publish (e.g. suppressed for reliability), not zero.