How Much Does a Paramedic Make in Merced, CA in 2026?
Typical pay for Paramedics in Merced, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across California.
BLS OES May 2025 · Merced metro area
A typical Paramedic in Merced, California earns $30.82 per hour, or $64,100 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $5,342 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $53,370, and the top 10% of earners make over $73,630.
That pay is 14% below the California figure of $74,590 and 6% above the national figure of $60,600. Merced ranks 15th of 16 metro areas in California for Paramedic pay. About 30 Paramedics work in the Merced area.
Paramedic pay in Merced at a glance
- Typical pay is $30.82 an hour, or $64,100 a year.
- That is 14% below the California figure, ranking 15th of 16 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $53,370; the top 10% make over $73,630.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Paramedic make in Merced?
Pay in Merced runs from entry-level positions at around $25.66 an hour to more than $35.40 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the California and national figures.
Paramedic pay by career stage in Merced
| Career stage | Merced | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $53,370$25.66 an hour | $53,370$25.66 an hour | $44,230$21.27 an hour |
| First years | $53,370$25.66 an hour | $63,490$30.52 an hour | $49,660$23.88 an hour |
| Typical Paramedic | $64,100$30.82 an hour | $74,590$35.86 an hour | $60,600$29.13 an hour |
| Experienced | $65,150$31.32 an hour | $90,730$43.62 an hour | $73,470$35.32 an hour |
| Top 10% | $73,630$35.40 an hour | $102,450$49.26 an hour | $84,850$40.80 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Merced area as BLS defines it
How Merced compares with other California cities
Redding pays Paramedics the most in California at $88,740 a year, $24,640 more than Merced. The lowest-paying area in the state is Visalia at $63,840.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Merced | Paramedics employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redding | $88,740 | $42.66 | +38% | 40 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale metro incl. Santa Clara · San Jose | $84,480 | $40.61 | +32% | 110 |
| 3 | Fremont metro incl. Oakland · San Francisco | $83,090 | $39.95 | +30% | 780 |
| 4 | Sacramento | $81,430 | $39.15 | +27% | 390 |
| 5 | Salinas | $80,710 | $38.81 | +26% | 50 |
| 6 | Oxnard metro incl. Thousand Oaks · Ventura | $80,590 | $38.74 | +26% | 60 |
| 7 | Long Beach metro incl. Los Angeles · Anaheim | $74,900 | $36.01 | +17% | 1,200 |
| 8 | Petaluma metro incl. Santa Rosa | $74,080 | $35.62 | +16% | 70 |
| 9 | Paso Robles metro incl. San Luis Obispo | $73,930 | $35.54 | +15% | 40 |
| 10 | Riverside metro incl. San Bernardino · Ontario | $72,520 | $34.87 | +13% | 580 |
| 11 | Modesto | $72,170 | $34.70 | +13% | 130 |
| 12 | Santa Cruz metro incl. Watsonville | $71,390 | $34.32 | +11% | 40 |
| 13 | Chula Vista | $70,630 | $33.96 | +10% | 430 |
| 14 | Bakersfield metro incl. Delano | $69,050 | $33.20 | +8% | 120 |
| 15 | Merced | $64,100 | $30.82 | this city | 30 |
| 16 | Visalia | $63,840 | $30.69 | 0% | 50 |
Every metro area in California with Paramedic wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · California typical pay $74,590
Is Merced a good place to work as a Paramedic?
Paramedics in Merced earn a strong wage by national standards: typical pay is $64,100 a year, 6% above the national figure. For every 1,000 jobs in the Merced area, about 0.4 are Paramedic positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 0.6. That makes Paramedics a smaller part of the local job market than usual, so employers draw from a smaller pool of qualified candidates.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Paramedic make in Merced, CA?
- A typical Paramedic in Merced earns $64,100 a year, or $30.82 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $53,370 and the top 10% earn over $73,630.
- How much does a Paramedic make an hour in Merced?
- Typical hourly pay for Paramedics in Merced is $30.82. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $25.66, and the top 10% earn over $35.40 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Paramedic in Merced?
- Entry-level Paramedic positions in Merced typically offer around $25.66 an hour, or $53,370 a year.
- Is Paramedic pay in Merced higher than in the rest of California?
- Merced pay is 14% below the California figure of $74,590 a year, ranking 15th of 16 metro areas in the state. Redding pays the most in California at $88,740.