Cooks, Short Order pay range in Modesto
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $35,950 a year or less, while the top 10% make $47,420 or more. The middle half of cooks, short order in Modesto earn between $37,410 and $44,820.
- $36K10th
- $37K25th
- $38KMedian
- $45K75th
- $47K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $40,710 | $3,392 | $19.57 |
| Median | $38,260 | $3,188 | $18.39 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $37,410 | $3,118 | $17.99 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $44,820 | $3,735 | $21.55 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Cooks, Short Order salary after taxes in Modesto
On the average salary of $40,710, a single filer in Modesto takes home about $34,126 a year, or $2,844 a month and $1,313 every two weeks. Taxes take 16% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is Modesto a good place for cooks, short order? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Modesto area are 4% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 104.1), so the average $40,710 buys what about $39,104 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Modesto ($50,610). A typical home costs $468,302, or 11.5 years of this average salary before tax.
Cooks, Short Order salary in other California cities
Modesto ranks 11th of 24 California metro areas for this job; San Francisco pays the most ($46,250).
- San Francisco$46,250
- San Jose$45,720
- Santa Rosa$45,590
- Napa$44,260
- Vallejo$44,070
- Los Angeles$42,440
- Salinas$41,920
- Oxnard$41,900
- Sacramento$41,130
- Modesto$40,710
Highest-paying cities for cooks, short order
Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($52,560).
- Kahului, HI$52,560
- Denver, CO$51,530
- Seattle, WA$49,560
- Corvallis, OR$48,580
- San Francisco, CA$46,250
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Cooks, Short Order salary in Modesto: questions
How much do cooks, short order make an hour in Modesto?
$19.57 an hour on average, and $18.40 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level cooks, short order salary in Modesto?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $35,950 a year and the 25th percentile is $37,410, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the cooks, short order take-home pay in Modesto?
About $34,126 a year ($2,844 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $40,710. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do cooks, short order earn more in Modesto than elsewhere?
The average here is 8% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($37,675).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 35-2015; area Modesto, CA (33700). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.1%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 2.15, this job is 2.1 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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