Los Angeles County / Probation Department / Cook

Job-title file

Cook

Carry out the duties of this position in support of the agency's public mission.

6 employees hold this title in Probation Department. Median total compensation for the role is $114,169, below the department median of $155,245.

Employees: 6
Total payroll: $670.5K
Role median: $114,169
Agency median: $155,245
Comparison: Below

Compared with the local labor market

Cook pay vs. the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area

Across all employers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, the median wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — about 9,860 people — is $45,400. Probation Department pays a median base salary of $42,506 for this role, 6% below that figure — about the 39th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Probation Department sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$37,100

$39,070

$45,400

$49,680

$59,300

Probation Department median · $42,506

The bar is the range of annual wages for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria across every employer in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Probation Department’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria — about 441,050 people — is $37,450. Probation Department’s median base salary is 13% above that national figure, about the 67th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$28,480

$32,440

$37,450

$44,800

$49,670

Probation Department median · $42,506

Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA range relative to the national one.

Median total compensation for this role at Probation Department is $114,169, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across Los Angeles County

Cook is held in 2 Los Angeles County departments. In Probation Department, the median of $114,169 ranks #1 of 2.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Public Health

$99,873 · 2

Median total compensation for the Cook role in other Los Angeles Countydepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

Cook beyond Los Angeles County

This role is reported in 20 jurisdictions. In Los Angeles County, the median of $106,337 ranks #2 of 20. See Cook across all of Los Angeles County →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

City and County of San Francisco

$121,457 · 38

Massachusetts

$56,973 · 108

New York Public Authorities

$52,186 · 18

New York City

$51,280 · 94

Illinois

$48,700 · 115

Minnesota

$47,360 · 113

Chicago Public Schools

$46,984 · 300

Texas

$42,923 · 368

Median total compensation for comparable Cookroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list