BLS metro-level wage data places Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria pay in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA at a median of $45,400 per year ($21.83/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $37,450, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim pays +21% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 9,860 cooks, institution and cafeterias are employed across the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim MSA in SOC 35-2012.

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim pay distribution spans from $37,100 at the 10th percentile to $59,300 at the 90th — a 1.6× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $39,070 and the 75th at $49,680, so half of Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim-based cooks, institution and cafeterias earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide CA data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.