Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other Salary
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Others in Merced, CA make a median of $53,620 a year, or about $25.78 an hour. The range runs from $34K at the entry level to $76K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.28), that's roughly $54,558 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,503/month, about 42.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $54K get you in Merced?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Merced’s Regional Price Parity (98.28). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About community and social service specialists, all others
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What this looks like in Merced
Community and social service specialists, all other pay in Merced tracks closely to the national median, $54K locally vs. $57K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,503/month, which is 41.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.28) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for community and social service specialists, all others in metros near Merced, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $57K | $50K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $68K | $59K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $55K | $52K |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $63K | $57K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Merced, CA
Entry-level community and social service specialists, all others (10th percentile) start around $34K. Mid-career wages sit at $54K. Top earners bring in $76K or more, a $42K spread from bottom to top.
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | $73K | +29% | 80 |
| Virginia | $70K | +23% | 2,190 |
| District of Columbia | $69K | +22% | 440 |
| New York | $67K | +17% | 15,300 |
| Washington | $64K | +13% | 4,800 |
| Rhode Island | $64K | +12% | 250 |
| North Dakota | $63K | +12% | 170 |
| New Jersey | $62K | +9% | 3,860 |
| Hawaii | $61K | +8% | 760 |
| California | $59K | +4% | 16,250 |
| Kentucky | $58K | +3% | 280 |
| Massachusetts | $57K | +1% | 1,480 |
| Oregon | $57K | +0% | 1,980 |
| Alaska | $57K | +0% | 270 |
| New Hampshire | $57K | +0% | 1,520 |
| Colorado | $55K | -2% | 6,540 |
| Wisconsin | $55K | -3% | 830 |
| North Carolina | $55K | -3% | 3,460 |
| Pennsylvania | $55K | -3% | 2,040 |
| Minnesota | $54K | -5% | 4,010 |
| Tennessee | $54K | -5% | 1,940 |
| Connecticut | $54K | -5% | 1,520 |
| Delaware | $54K | -5% | 320 |
| Oklahoma | $54K | -5% | 70 |
| Nebraska | $53K | -6% | 160 |
| Vermont | $53K | -6% | 2,850 |
| Arizona | $52K | -8% | 380 |
| South Carolina | $52K | -9% | 220 |
| Maryland | $51K | -10% | 2,640 |
| Florida | $50K | -11% | 3,750 |
| Idaho | $50K | -11% | 130 |
| Missouri | $50K | -12% | 930 |
| Michigan | $50K | -12% | 2,360 |
| Nevada | $50K | -13% | 280 |
| Louisiana | $49K | -13% | 5,730 |
| Indiana | $49K | -14% | 190 |
| New Mexico | $49K | -14% | 270 |
| Texas | $48K | -15% | 6,080 |
| Kansas | $48K | -16% | 730 |
| Iowa | $46K | -18% | 250 |
| Utah | $46K | -19% | 480 |
| Ohio | $46K | -19% | 820 |
| Georgia | $45K | -20% | 3,740 |
| Mississippi | $44K | -22% | 1,040 |
| Maine | $44K | -22% | 80 |
| Montana | $42K | -26% | 480 |
| West Virginia | $41K | -28% | 510 |
| Illinois | $41K | -28% | 2,750 |
| Arkansas | $41K | -28% | 450 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track community and social service specialists, all other salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Merced numbers change.
Related careers in Community & Social
Frequently asked questions
Can a community and social service specialists, all other afford a 2BR apartment alone in Merced?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $54K, rent takes 41.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,503/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for community and social service specialists, all others in Merced?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new community and social service specialists, all others typically earn — is $34K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,059/month. At HUD’s $1,503/month FMR, rent would take 73% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is community and social service specialists, all other a high-paying job in Merced?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $54K locally vs. $57K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Merced compare to the national average for community and social service specialists, all others?
Merced pays $54K median vs. the U.S. average of $57K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $55K — below the national median.
How much do community and social service specialists, all others make in Merced, CA?
The median is $53,620 a year, that works out to about $26 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,320, and experienced community and social service specialists, all others can clear $76,050. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $54K enough to live in Merced?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,635/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,503/month, which eats 41.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a community and social service specialists, all other salary go in Merced?
Merced has a Regional Price Parity of 98.28 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median community and social service specialists, all other salary is worth about $54,558 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do community and social service specialists, all others get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.