Firefighter · Merced, CA
Firefighter in Merced: $787/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Merced at $63,940 a year. About 270 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.52). The 10th percentile is $54,120 and the 90th is $91,860. Pay ranks 92nd-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 4.2× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,271/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $787 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is San Jose, about 41 miles away, at $3,128 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$787
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$63,940
$54,120 to $91,860
Rent (1 bd)
$1,271
$1,513 (2 bd)
Employment
270
Location quotient 1.52
Pay rank
92nd of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
4.2×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $63,940.
- Taxes$1,059
- Rent$1,271
- Other living costs$2,212
- Left over$787
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $63,940
- Federal income tax
- −$5,681
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$4,891
- State income tax (CA)
- −$2,132
- Take-home pay
- $51,236
- Effective tax rate
- 19.9%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,271
- Groceries
- $433
- Getting around
- $642
- Healthcare
- $487
- Utilities and internet
- $271
- Everything else
- $379
- Total spending
- $3,483
Left over each month
$5,328 gross, minus $1,059 in tax and $3,483 in living costs.
$787
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: San Jose, $3,128/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Merced
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a firefighter make in Merced?
$63,940 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 270 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Merced?
$787 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,271, and pay covers 4.2× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
San Jose, about 41 miles away, leaves $3,128 a month, more than Merced.