Construction Laborers pay range in Merced
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $37,780 a year or less, while the top 10% make $99,290 or more. The middle half of construction laborers in Merced earn between $45,190 and $70,330.
- $38K10th
- $45K25th
- $54KMedian
- $70K75th
- $99K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $60,320 | $5,027 | $29.00 |
| Median | $54,440 | $4,537 | $26.17 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $45,190 | $3,766 | $21.73 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $70,330 | $5,861 | $33.81 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Construction Laborers salary after taxes in Merced
On the average salary of $60,320, a single filer in Merced takes home about $48,835 a year, or $4,070 a month and $1,878 every two weeks. Taxes take 19% 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 construction laborers? 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 $60,320 buys what about $61,379 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 6.9 years of this average salary before tax.
Construction Laborers salary in other California cities
Merced ranks 19th of 25 California metro areas for this job; San Francisco pays the most ($73,640).
- San Francisco$73,640
- San Jose$69,780
- Salinas$66,620
- Vallejo$66,400
- Santa Rosa$65,600
- Riverside$65,580
- Hanford$64,650
- San Luis Obispo$64,150
- Sacramento$64,070
- Merced$60,320
Highest-paying cities for construction laborers
Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($78,590).
- Kahului, HI$78,590
- Vineland, NJ$74,200
- San Francisco, CA$73,640
- Trenton, NJ$73,100
- Boston, MA$71,350
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Construction Laborers salary in Merced: questions
How much do construction laborers make an hour in Merced?
$29.00 an hour on average, and $26.17 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level construction laborers salary in Merced?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $37,780 a year and the 25th percentile is $45,190, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the construction laborers take-home pay in Merced?
About $48,835 a year ($4,070 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $60,320. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do construction laborers earn more in Merced than elsewhere?
The average here is 15% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($52,592).
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 47-2061; area Merced, CA (32900). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.5%.
- 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 0.68, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.68).
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