Food Preparation Workers Salary in San Diego, CA (2024)
Food Preparation Workers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn a median of $38,130 per year ($18.33 per hour) based on 8,010 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +11.4% against the national median of $34,220 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where food preparation workers actually sit across the pay range in San Diego, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $16.68 | $34,690 | |
| 25th percentile | $17.44 | $36,270 | |
| Median | $18.33 | $38,130 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $20.95 | $43,570 | |
| 90th percentile | $22.62 | $47,050 | |
| Average (mean) | $19.38 | $40,310 |
How San Diego, CA compares
The local median of $38,130 runs +11.4% above the US median of $34,220 for this occupation; it pays 32.6% less than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($56,580); within the metro it ranks 607th of 653 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA — this occupation | $38,130 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $34,220 | +11.4% |
| San Diego, CA — all occupations | $56,580 | -32.6% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $41,980 | -9.2% |
The location quotient of 0.91 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 1.6%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 607th of 653 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in San Diego, CA
To put $38,130 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 607th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $220,840 | 50 |
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $215,010 | 170 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $205,650 | 180 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $199,590 | 2,630 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $193,370 | 7,620 |
| Podiatrists | $187,010 | 60 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $185,550 | 3,690 |
| Dentists, General | $176,970 | 1,950 |
| Marketing Managers | $171,590 | 4,390 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $169,230 | 3,200 |
Where food preparation workers earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $29,770 to $41,980. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $41,980 | 11,930 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $39,660 | 12,470 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $39,300 | 6,300 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $38,130 | 8,010 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $38,090 | 10,540 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $37,990 | 8,900 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $37,580 | 39,020 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $37,270 | 7,720 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $36,330 | 54,130 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $36,220 | 14,120 |
See the full national picture on the Food Preparation Workers salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for food preparation workers in San Diego, CA?
The median annual wage is $38,130, or $18 per hour. That means half of the food preparation workers working in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $40,310.
What do the highest and lowest paid food preparation workers in San Diego, CA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $34,690 or less, while the top 10% earn $47,050 or more — a spread of $12,360 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $36,270 and $43,570.
Is food preparation workers pay in San Diego, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 32.6% below the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $56,580. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does San Diego, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $38,130 the metro median is 11.4% higher than the US median of $34,220 for food preparation workers. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $29,770 to $41,980.
How many food preparation workers work in San Diego, CA?
BLS counts about 8,010 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 5.22 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 0.91 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 10.0%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.