Mechanical Engineers salary in Merced, CA

Median pay for mechanical engineers in Merced, CA: $94,850/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $62,930 – $141,630 · about 30 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($95,605) by −$755 (-1%).

What it's really worth in Merced

With Merced's cost of living at 100 (US=100), that $94,850 has the buying power of about $95,214 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $64,772 · median home $419,171 · median rent $1,975/mo.

Full Merced cost of living & taxes →

How Merced ranks for this job

On raw pay, Merced, CA is 98th of the 180 metros we hold mechanical engineers wages for. Once Merced's cost of living is applied, it ranks 94th.

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 4.4× 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 25% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where mechanical engineers 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	$153,520	+62%	1.8×
San Francisco, CA	$136,970	+44%	1.6×
Albuquerque, NM	$133,660	+41%	0.8×
Tyler, TX	$130,720	+38%	0.7×

Same job elsewhere in CA

Metro	Median pay	vs Merced	Rent vs Merced
San Jose, CA	$153,520	+62%	1.8×
San Francisco, CA	$136,970	+44%	1.6×
Santa Cruz, CA	$126,560	+33%	1.8×
San Diego, CA	$122,350	+29%	1.5×

Staying in CA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Merced