First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers Salary
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers in Merced, CA make a median of $45,490 a year, or about $21.87 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $71K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.28), that's roughly $46,286 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,503/month, about 47.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $45K 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 first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
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What this looks like in Merced
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers pay in Merced tracks closely to the national median, $45K locally vs. $44K nationwide, a 3% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,503/month, which is 48% 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 first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers in metros near Merced, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $47K | $41K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $45K | $42K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $52K | $45K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $47K | $42K |
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 first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $45K. Top earners bring in $71K or more, a $31K spread from bottom to top.
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $59K | +35% | 20,700 |
| District of Columbia | $57K | +30% | 2,830 |
| Connecticut | $53K | +20% | 10,770 |
| Colorado | $51K | +15% | 25,510 |
| Vermont | $50K | +13% | 1,970 |
| New Hampshire | $50K | +13% | 3,840 |
| Hawaii | $49K | +11% | 7,330 |
| New Jersey | $48K | +10% | 27,750 |
| Rhode Island | $48K | +10% | 3,320 |
| Delaware | $48K | +9% | 4,030 |
| Maine | $48K | +9% | 3,740 |
| New York | $47K | +7% | 65,580 |
| California | $47K | +7% | 130,190 |
| Oregon | $47K | +7% | 16,880 |
| Massachusetts | $47K | +6% | 23,220 |
| Alaska | $47K | +6% | 2,390 |
| Virginia | $46K | +3% | 30,640 |
| Minnesota | $45K | +3% | 20,760 |
| North Carolina | $45K | +2% | 39,750 |
| Indiana | $45K | +2% | 23,500 |
| North Dakota | $45K | +1% | 2,780 |
| Florida | $44K | +1% | 91,500 |
| Nevada | $44K | -0% | 14,230 |
| Montana | $44K | -0% | 4,650 |
| Pennsylvania | $43K | -2% | 35,560 |
| Maryland | $42K | -4% | 20,150 |
| South Dakota | $41K | -8% | 2,920 |
| Arizona | $41K | -8% | 21,450 |
| Tennessee | $41K | -8% | 29,100 |
| Wisconsin | $40K | -10% | 21,240 |
| Illinois | $39K | -10% | 41,030 |
| New Mexico | $39K | -11% | 6,540 |
| Nebraska | $39K | -11% | 7,840 |
| Iowa | $39K | -12% | 11,400 |
| Utah | $39K | -12% | 13,670 |
| Georgia | $39K | -12% | 48,420 |
| South Carolina | $39K | -13% | 20,120 |
| Kansas | $38K | -13% | 10,520 |
| Idaho | $38K | -13% | 7,440 |
| Michigan | $38K | -14% | 32,890 |
| Missouri | $37K | -15% | 21,650 |
| Ohio | $37K | -15% | 51,990 |
| Alabama | $37K | -16% | 19,180 |
| Wyoming | $37K | -16% | 2,680 |
| Mississippi | $37K | -17% | 10,480 |
| Texas | $36K | -17% | 137,930 |
| Kentucky | $36K | -19% | 18,010 |
| Louisiana | $36K | -19% | 16,680 |
| Oklahoma | $35K | -20% | 18,900 |
| Arkansas | $34K | -23% | 11,200 |
| West Virginia | $33K | -25% | 6,390 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving worker afford a 2BR apartment alone in Merced?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $45K, rent takes 48% 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 $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers in Merced?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,350/month. At HUD’s $1,503/month FMR, rent would take 64% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving worker a high-paying job in Merced?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $45K locally vs. $44K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Merced compare to the national average for first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers?
Merced pays $45K median vs. the U.S. average of $44K — that’s +3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $46K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers make in Merced, CA?
The median is $45,490 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,170, and experienced first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers can clear $70,640. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $45K enough to live in Merced?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,131/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,503/month, which eats 48% 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 first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers 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 first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers salary is worth about $46,286 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers 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.