Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers Salary
The median pay for a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in California is $36,010/year ($17.31/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $34K at the entry level to $51K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.14), so that salary is closer to $33,927 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,471/month, about 99.4% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across California. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $36K get you in California?
About dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
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What this looks like in California
Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers pay in California tracks closely to the national median, $36K locally vs. $34K nationwide, a 6% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,471/month, which is 97.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 6% above the national average (BEA RPP 106.14), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, California
Entry-level dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (10th percentile) start around $34K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $51K or more, a $16K spread from bottom to top.
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers salary by metro in California
25 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $42K | +16% | 3,420 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $39K | +9% | 10,650 |
| Napa | $37K | +4% | 870 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | $37K | +2% | 1,080 |
| Vallejo | $36K | +1% | 550 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $36K | +0% | 3,610 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $36K | -0% | 9,620 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $36K | -1% | 24,860 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | $36K | -1% | 490 |
| Salinas | $36K | -1% | 1,170 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | $35K | -2% | 1,260 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | $35K | -3% | 1,740 |
| Modesto | $35K | -3% | 680 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | $35K | -4% | 1,090 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | $35K | -4% | 70 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $35K | -4% | 7,510 |
| Stockton-Lodi | $35K | -4% | 860 |
| Yuba City | $34K | -5% | 140 |
| Chico | $34K | -5% | 330 |
| El Centro | $34K | -5% | 140 |
| Fresno | $34K | -5% | 1,330 |
| Merced | $34K | -5% | 170 |
| Redding | $34K | -5% | 270 |
| Visalia | $34K | -5% | 380 |
| Bakersfield-Delano | $34K | -5% | 880 |
Showing 1–10 of 25 metros
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when California numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helper afford a 2BR apartment alone in California?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 97.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,471/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in California?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers typically earn — is $34K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,059/month. At HUD’s $2,471/month FMR, rent would take 120% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helper a high-paying job in California?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $36K locally vs. $34K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does California compare to the national average for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers?
California pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $34K — that’s +6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.14), the purchasing-power equivalent is $34K — below the national median.
How much do dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers make in California?
The median is $36,010 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,320, and experienced dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers can clear $50,630. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in California?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,529/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,471/month, which eats 97.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers salary go in California?
California has a Regional Price Parity of 106.14 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers salary is worth about $33,927 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.