Truck driver (heavy) · Merced, CA

Truck driver (heavy) in Merced: $280/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median truck driver (heavy) wage in Merced at $55,630 a year. About 1,710 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.62). The 10th percentile is $36,470 and the 90th is $83,810. Pay ranks 234th-highest of 387 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.6× 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 $280 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Carson City, about 145 miles away, at $961 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$280

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$55,630

$36,470 to $83,810

Rent (1 bd)

$1,271

$1,513 (2 bd)

Employment

1,710

Location quotient 1.62

Pay rank

234th of 387

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

3.6×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, truck driver (heavy) pay of $55,630.

Taxes$873
Rent$1,271
Other living costs$2,212
Left over$280

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $55,630
Federal income tax: −$4,637
Social Security and Medicare: −$4,256
State income tax (CA): −$1,583
Take-home pay: $45,154
Effective tax rate: 18.8%

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

$4,636 gross, minus $873 in tax and $3,483 in living costs.

$280

Rank every metro for a truck driver (heavy)

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Carson City, $961/mo.

Truck driver (heavy) leftover by city →Best cities for truck drivers to move to →

Truck driver (heavy) nearby

Questions

What does a truck driver (heavy) make in Merced?

$55,630 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 1,710 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a truck driver (heavy) in Merced?

$280 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,271, and pay covers 3.6× a year of it.

Where nearby would a truck driver (heavy) keep more?

Carson City, about 145 miles away, leaves $961 a month, more than Merced.