Food Service Managers Salary
Food Service Managers in Merced, CA make a median of $59,170 a year, or about $28.45 an hour. The range runs from $44K at the entry level to $122K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.28), that's roughly $60,206 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,503/month, about 38.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $59K 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 food service managers
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What this looks like in Merced
Pay for food service managers in Merced runs about 15% below the U.S. median of $69K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,503/month, which is 37.8% 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. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for food service managerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for food service managers in metros near Merced, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $78K | $69K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $88K | $76K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $80K | $72K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $71K | $67K |
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 food service managers (10th percentile) start around $44K. Mid-career wages sit at $59K. Top earners bring in $122K or more, a $78K spread from bottom to top.
Food Service Managers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Food Service Managers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $95K | +37% | 1,180 |
| Massachusetts | $92K | +33% | 4,310 |
| Hawaii | $88K | +27% | 1,230 |
| New York | $84K | +21% | 8,000 |
| Rhode Island | $83K | +19% | 760 |
| Alaska | $82K | +18% | 380 |
| District of Columbia | $82K | +18% | 1,000 |
| Colorado | $80K | +15% | 2,440 |
| Minnesota | $80K | +15% | 730 |
| California | $78K | +13% | 33,180 |
| New Jersey | $78K | +12% | 6,360 |
| Connecticut | $78K | +12% | 1,520 |
| Vermont | $78K | +12% | 500 |
| New Hampshire | $77K | +11% | 590 |
| Delaware | $74K | +7% | 770 |
| North Carolina | $74K | +7% | 9,420 |
| Maryland | $73K | +5% | N/A |
| Florida | $73K | +5% | 18,500 |
| North Dakota | $72K | +4% | 950 |
| Montana | $72K | +4% | 950 |
| Indiana | $71K | +3% | 4,990 |
| Virginia | $71K | +3% | 3,820 |
| Maine | $71K | +2% | 1,210 |
| Kentucky | $70K | +1% | 1,680 |
| Kansas | $70K | +1% | 1,540 |
| Arizona | $70K | +1% | 3,400 |
| Idaho | $70K | +1% | 670 |
| Utah | $69K | +0% | 2,400 |
| Iowa | $67K | -4% | 1,760 |
| South Carolina | $66K | -5% | 5,080 |
| Missouri | $66K | -6% | 1,600 |
| Nevada | $65K | -6% | 4,310 |
| Georgia | $65K | -6% | 9,230 |
| New Mexico | $65K | -6% | 1,410 |
| Pennsylvania | $65K | -7% | 10,530 |
| Tennessee | $64K | -7% | 4,550 |
| Illinois | $64K | -8% | 11,270 |
| Oklahoma | $64K | -8% | 2,020 |
| Alabama | $63K | -9% | 4,330 |
| Ohio | $63K | -9% | 8,570 |
| Wyoming | $63K | -10% | 590 |
| Oregon | $62K | -10% | 4,420 |
| Wisconsin | $62K | -11% | 6,000 |
| Louisiana | $61K | -12% | 1,950 |
| Michigan | $61K | -12% | 9,240 |
| Texas | $61K | -12% | 25,990 |
| South Dakota | $61K | -13% | 1,270 |
| Nebraska | $60K | -13% | 2,050 |
| Mississippi | $60K | -14% | 1,920 |
| Arkansas | $55K | -21% | 2,720 |
| West Virginia | $55K | -21% | 1,230 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track food service managers salary changes
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Related careers in Management
Frequently asked questions
Can a food service manager afford a 2BR apartment alone in Merced?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $59K, rent takes 37.8% 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 $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for food service managers in Merced?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food service managers typically earn — is $44K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,612/month. At HUD’s $1,503/month FMR, rent would take 58% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is food service manager a high-paying job in Merced?
Local pay runs 15% below the national median — $59K here vs. $69K nationally.
How does Merced compare to the national average for food service managers?
Merced pays $59K median vs. the U.S. average of $69K — that’s -15%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $60K — below the national median.
How much do food service managers make in Merced, CA?
The median is $59,170 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $43,530, and experienced food service managers can clear $121,950. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $59K enough to live in Merced?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,978/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,503/month, which eats 37.8% 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 food service managers 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 food service managers salary is worth about $60,206 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do food service managers 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.