Chefs and Head Cooks pay range in Merced
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $35,140 a year or less, while the top 10% make $98,900 or more. The middle half of chefs and head cooks in Merced earn between $42,240 and $86,830.
- $35K10th
- $42K25th
- $58KMedian
- $87K75th
- $99K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $65,520 | $5,460 | $31.50 |
| Median | $57,500 | $4,792 | $27.64 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $42,240 | $3,520 | $20.31 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $86,830 | $7,236 | $41.75 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Chefs and Head Cooks salary after taxes in Merced
On the average salary of $65,520, a single filer in Merced takes home about $52,656 a year, or $4,388 a month and $2,025 every two weeks. Taxes take 20% 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 chefs and head cooks? 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 $65,520 buys what about $66,670 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.2 times the median wage of all jobs in Merced ($47,220). A typical home costs $419,171, or 6.4 years of this average salary before tax.
Chefs and Head Cooks salary in other California cities
Merced ranks 11th of 24 California metro areas for this job; Napa pays the most ($83,750).
- Napa$83,750
- San Jose$80,150
- Salinas$76,270
- San Francisco$73,910
- Santa Rosa$71,510
- Santa Maria$69,830
- Los Angeles$69,260
- Vallejo$68,430
- Modesto$67,600
- Merced$65,520
Highest-paying cities for chefs and head cooks
Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($91,380).
- Kahului, HI$91,380
- Napa, CA$83,750
- San Jose, CA$80,150
- Albany, NY$79,500
- Providence, RI$79,440
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Chefs and Head Cooks salary in Merced: questions
How much do chefs and head cooks make an hour in Merced?
$31.50 an hour on average, and $27.64 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level chefs and head cooks salary in Merced?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $35,140 a year and the 25th percentile is $42,240, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the chefs and head cooks take-home pay in Merced?
About $52,656 a year ($4,388 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $65,520. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do chefs and head cooks earn more in Merced than elsewhere?
The average here is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($67,002).
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 35-1011; area Merced, CA (32900). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 5.0%.
- 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 0.86, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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