Merced, CA
Across all occupations in the Merced, CA metropolitan area, the median wage is $47,220 a year ($22.70 an hour) and the mean $61,520, May 2025. That median is −7% against the US median of $50,980 and −19% against California's $58,240. BLS counts 79,510 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is physicians, all other; the largest is home health and personal care aides.
All occupations: Merced, CA vs California and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Merced, CA | Hourly | $16.50 | $17.73 | $22.70 | $34.23 | $51.29 | $29.58 | 79,510 |
| Annual | $34,320 | $36,870 | $47,220 | $71,210 | $106,690 | $61,520 | ||
| California | Hourly | $17.28 | $20.00 | $28.00 | $47.06 | $76.48 | $38.79 | 18,213,700 |
| Annual | $35,950 | $41,600 | $58,240 | $97,880 | $159,080 | $80,690 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
272 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: California. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Merced, CA
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $273,110 | $131.30 | 90 |
| 2 | Family Medicine Physicians | $270,880 | $130.23 | 40 |
| 3 | Chief Executives | $181,660 | $87.34 | 100 |
| 4 | Dentists, General | $170,200 | $81.83 | 40 |
| 5 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in California | $167,150 | $80.36 | 80 |
| 6 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $165,620 | $79.63 | 50 |
| 7 | Physician Assistants | $164,080 | $78.88 | 50 |
| 8 | Nurse Practitioners | $158,750 | $76.32 | 100 |
| 9 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $157,180 | * | 260 |
| 10 | Pharmacists | $154,870 | $74.46 | 120 |
| 11 | Human Resources Managers | $153,210 | $73.66 | 70 |
| 12 | Marketing Managers | $148,670 | $71.47 | 50 |
| 13 | Lawyers in California | $139,010 | $66.83 | 120 |
| 14 | Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $138,890 | * | 50 |
| 15 | Financial Managers in California | $134,170 | $64.51 | 210 |
| 16 | School Psychologists | $133,230 | $64.06 | 90 |
| 17 | Software Developers in California | $132,120 | $63.52 | 80 |
| 18 | Registered Nurses in California | $131,620 | $63.28 | 1,050 |
| 19 | Education Administrators, All Other | $128,210 | $61.64 | 30 |
| 20 | Managers, All Other in California | $128,190 | $61.63 | 150 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Merced, CA
Most concentrated occupations in Merced, CA
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food Science Technicians | 28.14 | 210 | 2.64 | $50,750 |
| 2 | Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 28.13 | 3,820 | 48.04 | $36,350 |
| 3 | Agricultural Equipment Operators | 14.06 | 200 | 2.58 | $37,570 |
| 4 | First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers | 13.79 | 200 | 2.48 | $57,930 |
| 5 | Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 13.04 | 170 | 2.11 | $36,420 |
| 6 | Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 10.29 | 200 | 2.51 | $61,360 |
| 7 | Protective Service Workers, All Other | 9.44 | 390 | 4.95 | $38,740 |
| 8 | Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 8.68 | 270 | 3.35 | $61,920 |
| 9 | Psychiatric Aides | 6.61 | 120 | 1.51 | $49,590 |
| 10 | Substitute Teachers, Short-Term | 5.42 | 1,450 | 18.29 | $60,770 |
Occupation groups in Merced, CA
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $115,860 | $128,770 | 3,630 | 45.69 | 0.64 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $110,280 | $116,590 | 3,200 | 40.22 | 0.64 |
| Legal | $95,420 | $118,630 | 250 | 3.16 | 0.38 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $91,850 | $100,090 | 640 | 8.03 | 0.24 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $90,450 | $95,960 | 340 | 4.32 | 0.26 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $79,670 | $86,250 | 2,680 | 33.71 | 0.50 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $71,210 | $78,070 | 8,950 | 112.62 | 1.92 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $70,260 | $82,630 | 730 | 9.23 | 0.97 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $61,440 | $66,810 | 3,180 | 39.97 | 1.02 |
| Construction and Extraction | $60,490 | $67,940 | 2,460 | 30.99 | 0.75 |
| Community and Social Service | $60,200 | $66,140 | 2,170 | 27.31 | 1.59 |
| Protective Service | $59,680 | $67,650 | 2,110 | 26.48 | 1.09 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $54,290 | $62,910 | 370 | 4.71 | 0.36 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $49,490 | $54,100 | 7,130 | 89.72 | 0.79 |
| Production | $44,090 | $49,500 | 5,660 | 71.15 | 1.29 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $43,870 | $46,260 | 2,200 | 27.65 | 0.95 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $43,480 | $48,180 | 8,360 | 105.18 | 1.20 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $38,560 | $41,230 | 6,490 | 81.68 | 0.93 |
| Sales and Related | $37,960 | $48,640 | 5,920 | 74.42 | 0.86 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $36,480 | $41,530 | 4,490 | 56.47 | 20.18 |
| Personal Care and Service | $35,940 | $40,750 | 1,500 | 18.87 | 0.90 |
| Healthcare Support | $34,320 | $38,450 | 7,030 | 88.44 | 1.74 |
Every occupation in California, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 272 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Merced, CA estimates (area 32900).
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Merced, CA area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.