Bartender pay in Merced, CA at a glance
Median salary
$34,680$16.67 per hour · $2,890 monthly · BLS May 2025Run the numbers on your own pay
Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.
Bartender salary in Merced, CA after taxes
Bartenders pay range in Merced, CA, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the Merced, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.
| Percentile | Hourly | Monthly | Yearly | After tax a year (CA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $16.50/hr | $2,860 | $34,320 | $29,401 |
| 25th percentile | $16.50/hr | $2,860 | $34,320 | $29,401 |
| MedianMedian | $16.67/hr | $2,890 | $34,680 | $29,675 |
| 75th percentile | $18.44/hr | $3,196 | $38,350 | $32,478 |
| 90th percentile | $31.19/hr | $5,407 | $64,880 | $52,346 |
Is $34,680 a good salary in Merced, CA?
It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for bartenders next to both.
Bartenders pay in California and across the U.S.
The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.
Do bartenders pay tax on tips?
Yes, but less than before. This job is on the Treasury's list of tipped occupations, so from 2025 through 2028 up to $25,000 a year of reported tips comes off federal taxable income, shrinking above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint). Social Security and Medicare are still owed on every tip, and most states still tax them. The BLS pay figures on this page already include tips as employers report them.
Bartender pay in Merced, CA: common questions
What is the median salary for bartenders in Merced, CA?
The BLS median annual wage for bartenders in the Merced, CA metro area was $34,680 in May 2025, about $2,890 a month or $16.67 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $36,220, so the metro pays 4% below the state.
What is the hourly pay for bartenders in Merced, CA?
The median hourly wage for bartenders in Merced, CA was $16.67 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.50 an hour and one in ten earned more than $31.19.
How many bartenders work in Merced, CA?
BLS estimated 180 jobs for bartenders in the metro in May 2025, or 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.45 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.
What is the pay range for bartenders in Merced, CA?
BLS wage estimates for bartenders in Merced, CA run from $34,320 at the 10th percentile to $34,320 at the 25th, $38,350 at the 75th, and $64,880 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do bartenders take home after taxes in Merced, CA?
On a median gross salary of $34,680, an estimated $29,675 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,141 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,005 (an effective rate of 14.4%).
How much do bartenders make per month in Merced, CA?
On the median annual salary of $34,680, gross monthly income is $2,890. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,473 per month (or $1,141 every two weeks).
Is $34,680 a good salary in Merced, CA?
At $34,680, the median salary for bartenders is 52.9% of the Merced, CA median household income ($65,510). It is 27% below the $47,220 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 98.3, so prices here run 1.7% below the U.S. average.