Bartenders pay range in Merced
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $34,320 a year or less, while the top 10% make $64,880 or more. The middle half of bartenders in Merced earn between $34,320 and $38,350.
- $34K10th
- $34K25th
- $35KMedian
- $38K75th
- $65K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $41,670 | $3,472 | $20.03 |
| Median | $34,680 | $2,890 | $16.67 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $34,320 | $2,860 | $16.50 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $38,350 | $3,196 | $18.44 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Bartenders salary after taxes in Merced
On the average salary of $41,670, a single filer in Merced takes home about $34,859 a year, or $2,905 a month and $1,341 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 Merced a good place for bartenders? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Merced area are 2% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 98.3), so the average $41,670 buys what about $42,401 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Merced ($47,220). A typical home costs $419,171, or 10.1 years of this average salary before tax.
Bartenders salary in other California cities
Merced ranks 17th of 25 California metro areas for this job; San Francisco pays the most ($50,970).
- San Francisco$50,970
- San Jose$50,890
- San Luis Obispo$47,350
- San Diego$46,900
- Napa$46,780
- Santa Rosa$46,650
- Salinas$46,550
- Sacramento$46,320
- Oxnard$45,270
- Merced$41,670
Highest-paying cities for bartenders
Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($91,360).
- Kahului, HI$91,360
- Honolulu, HI$72,660
- New York, NY$63,630
- Seattle, WA$62,090
- Portland, ME$60,600
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Bartenders salary in Merced: questions
How much do bartenders make an hour in Merced?
$20.04 an hour on average, and $16.67 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level bartenders salary in Merced?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $34,320 a year and the 25th percentile is $34,320, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the bartenders take-home pay in Merced?
About $34,859 a year ($2,905 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $41,670. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do bartenders earn more in Merced than elsewhere?
The average here is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($41,635).
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 35-3011; area Merced, CA (32900). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.9%.
- 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 0.45, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.45).
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