Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Merced, CA

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Merced, CA, ranked by annual average salary. For each job, the table displays the number of employees with that job, as well as the job's entry-level salary. (The entry-level salary is calculated based on the 10% of paid workers with the lowest salaries.)

Based on the table, we see that the highest-paying jobs in Merced, CA are those of family medicine physician, with an average annual salary of $229,680. The second highest-paying jobs are those of chief executive, with an average salary of $179,520.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Merced, CA has been computed using data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in April 2023. Notably, the highest-paying occupations change from year to year. Tables 2, 3, and 4 show the top 10 highest-paying occupations in Merced, CA in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Merced, CA (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$229,680	$169,610	40
2	Chief Executives	$179,520	$86,110	90
3	General Dentists	$155,660	$60,090	60
4	Pharmacists	$137,280	$112,470	130
5	Marketing Managers	$136,300	$83,920	60
6	Physician Assistants	$132,630	$109,990	50
7	Nurse Practitioners	$132,360	$83,200	120
8	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$130,600	$91,800	80
9	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$129,980	$101,700	200
10	Human Resources Managers	$128,040	$89,500	60
11	Lawyers	$127,550	$66,040	140
12	Financial Managers	$126,410	$78,330	210
13	Software Developers	$123,180	$59,140	90
14	All Other Managers	$123,100	$62,140	140
15	Registered Nurses	$114,110	$82,100	860
16	Industrial Production Managers	$113,310	$79,220	110
17	Power Plant Operators	$112,570	$60,170	40
18	Occupational Therapists	$110,480	$79,930	40
19	Instructional Coordinators	$110,450	$46,360	110
20	Physical Therapists	$109,850	$78,950	60
21	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$106,100	$97,300	30
22	School Psychologists	$105,120	$79,740	120
23	Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	$104,960	$63,360	130
24	Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians	$104,110	$41,490	40
25	Medical and Health Services Managers	$103,930	$62,160	170
26	Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	$101,920	$58,050	1,150
27	Engineers, All Other	$101,440	$81,080	40
28	Construction Managers	$100,780	$66,110	90
29	Other Teachers and Instructors	$99,090	$60,470	290
30	Facilities Managers	$97,930	$70,120	70
31	Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers	$97,870	$42,130	30
32	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$97,800	$79,420	60
33	Radiologic Technologists	$97,100	$75,120	60
34	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$96,980	$75,800	140
35	General and Operations Managers	$96,870	$51,710	880
36	Speech-Language Pathologists	$96,490	$73,550	120
37	Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$95,760	$65,420	250
38	Administrative Services Managers	$94,730	$43,680	90
39	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$90,990	$61,840	50
40	Respiratory Therapists	$89,080	$59,690	40
41	Computer Occupations, All Other	$88,510	$48,760	70
42	Healthcare Social Workers	$87,100	$55,950	40
43	Civil Engineers	$85,680	$62,420	60
44	Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	$84,900	$43,120	330
45	Sales Managers	$84,220	$44,760	270
46	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$83,870	$64,050	40
47	Project Management Specialists	$80,830	$39,310	160
48	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$80,620	$51,150	100
49	Mechanical Engineers	$80,340	$55,970	40
50	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$80,190	$58,110	990
51	Computer Systems Analysts	$80,100	$62,370	60
52	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$79,840	$48,660	270
53	Data Scientists	$79,620	$56,950	30
54	Kindergarten and Elementary School Special Education Teachers	$79,530	$58,530	130
55	Industrial Engineers	$78,740	$54,850	50
56	Food Scientists and Technologists	$77,390	$44,710	50
57	Accountants and Auditors	$77,000	$53,210	280
58	Cost Estimators	$76,630	$40,540	100
59	Logisticians	$76,620	$53,620	40
60	Chefs and Head Cooks	$75,390	$36,660	40
61	All Other Special Education Teachers	$74,200	$64,380	90
62	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$73,080	$39,690	340
63	Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	$73,070	$50,950	140
64	Firefighters	$73,050	$50,810	170
65	Physical Therapist Assistants	$72,610	$29,390	40
66	Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	$72,370	$51,800	50
67	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$71,530	$50,730	60
68	Architectural and Civil Drafters	$71,180	$38,040	40
69	Social and Community Service Managers	$70,720	$43,680	90
70	Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives	$68,990	$33,180	320
71	Sheet Metal Workers	$67,520	$44,620	50
72	Compliance Officers	$66,990	$49,480	220
73	Social Scientists and Related Workers	$66,540	$37,380	50
74	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators	$65,440	$38,080	110
75	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	$64,540	$48,140	160
76	Other Education, Training, and Library Workers	$63,940	$36,860	120
77	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	$63,820	$37,780	140
78	Management Analysts	$63,650	$48,950	220
79	Electricians	$63,420	$44,740	130
80	Human Resources Specialists	$62,900	$44,720	230
81	Computer Network Support Specialists	$62,850	$48,130	60
82	Other Community and Social Service Specialists	$62,520	$29,120	40
83	Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	$62,440	$37,590	60
84	Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors	$61,950	$45,840	260
85	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$61,580	$47,170	300
86	Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	$61,520	$36,090	120
87	Environmental Scientists and Health Specialists	$61,510	$49,730	30
88	All Other Physicians	$61,410	$61,410	50
89	First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	$61,070	$41,750	610
90	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$61,020	$41,660	330
91	Other Financial Specialists	$60,980	$41,240	40
92	Postal Service Clerks	$60,800	$49,210	40
93	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	$60,770	$50,950	260
94	Other Business Operations Specialists	$60,660	$31,480	420
95	Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors	$60,450	$35,010	210
96	Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel	$59,780	$32,410	230
97	Librarians and Media Collections Specialists	$59,400	$38,850	40
98	Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	$59,240	$36,640	120
99	Roofers	$58,820	$43,820	40
100	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors	$58,430	$36,370	300

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Merced, CA – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Dentists	$162,350
2	Chief Executives	$153,050
3	Pharmacists	$152,950
4	Physician Assistants	$152,130
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$131,860
6	Nurse Practitioners	$130,470
7	Marketing Managers	$129,140
8	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$127,960
9	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$123,840
10	School Psychologists	$122,580

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Merced, CA – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Chief Executives	$182,600
2	All Other Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$177,470
3	Pharmacists	$154,840
4	Sales Managers	$152,250
5	Physician Assistants	$145,960
6	Nurse Practitioners	$140,460
7	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$131,440
8	Financial Managers	$127,290
9	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$126,760
10	Human Resources Managers	$120,300

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Merced, CA – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Pharmacists	$152,660
2	Nurse Practitioners	$137,350
3	Human Resources Managers	$133,490
4	Sales Managers	$126,540
5	Physician Assistants	$125,850
6	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$123,280
7	All Other Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$121,720
8	Financial Managers	$118,540
9	Industrial Production Managers	$116,470
10	Medical and Health Services Managers	$114,650

Also see The most popular jobs in Merced, CA.

Also see The most popular jobs in California, The top paying jobs in California.