Pharmacists salary in Merced, CA
Median pay for pharmacists in Merced, CA: $149,040/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $122,570 – $181,500 · about 110 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($135,000) by +$14,040 (+10%).
What it's really worth in Merced
With Merced's cost of living at 100 (US=100), that $149,040 has the buying power of about $149,612 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $64,772 · median home $419,171 · median rent $1,975/mo.
How Merced ranks for this job
On raw pay, Merced, CA is 26th of the 187 metros we hold pharmacists wages for. Once Merced's cost of living is applied, it ranks 30th.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Merced sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Merced
A median home in Merced, CA costs $419,171 — about 2.8× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,975/mo works out at 16% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where pharmacists earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Merced.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Merced | Rent vs Merced |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $190,570 | +28% | 1.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $180,420 | +21% | 1.6× |
| Vallejo, CA | $179,210 | +20% | 1.2× |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $170,100 | +14% | 1.3× |
Same job elsewhere in CA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Merced | Rent vs Merced |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $190,570 | +28% | 1.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $180,420 | +21% | 1.6× |
| Vallejo, CA | $179,210 | +20% | 1.2× |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $170,100 | +14% | 1.3× |
Staying in CA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Merced
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.