How much do Chefs and Head Cooks make in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

Percentile spread

For Chefs and Head Cooks, the published 10th percentile is $46,590 and the 90th percentile is $117,340. The difference is $70,750, which is 89.5% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $56,390 to the 75th at $97,240, covers $40,850.

The mean annual wage is $80,150, which sits above the median of $79,020. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA median is 26.5% higher than the national median of $62,470 for Chefs and Head Cooks. In 2024 national prices the local median is $71,561, which is 14.6% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 22.5% higher than the California median of $64,500.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is 110.423, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $79,020 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Chefs and Head Cooks at $71,561 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

18 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Chefs and Head Cooks. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ranks 1st of 19 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 36 miles away, with a median of $59,190 and employment of 200. That median is 25.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $53,860, against $71,561 here.
• Merced, CA is 41 miles away, with a median of $57,500 and employment of 90. That median is 27.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $58,509, against $71,561 here.
• Salinas, CA is 46 miles away, with a median of $72,440 and employment of 360. That median is 8.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $66,433, against $71,561 here.

Employment share

Chefs and Head Cooks accounts for 0.11% of wage-and-salary employment in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (1,280 of 1,134,970). Nationally the occupation is 0.13% of employment (200,040 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.88 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.