Telecom Equipment Installers in the Merced area earn a median of $71,700 a year, 15% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #80 of 320 metros for telecom equipment installer salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in San Jose and Stockton, but less in Modesto.
It's one of 24 California metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide telecom equipment installer pay.
Telecom Equipment Installer pay in Merced at a glance
- Telecom equipment installers in the Merced, CA metro earn a median $71,700 a year ($34.47 an hour), #80 of 320 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $47,250 and $96,300.
- After local prices, that median buys what $72,959 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,262 a month, 21% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among telecom equipment installers in Merced.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for telecom equipment installers here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and also above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (10.2%) and the population is growing faster than most (+5.1% since 2020).
Merced scorecard for telecom equipment installers Our calculation
Grades compare Merced with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($62,240).
Pay over time
The median pay for telecom equipment installers in the Merced area went from $72,200 in 2021 to $71,700 in 2025, down 0.7%. Prices rose 19% over the same period, so after inflation that's -16.8% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2021–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Merced Our calculation
Prices in the Merced area run 2% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $72,959 would in a typical place, ranking #75 of 319 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a Merced budget on this pay from this pay, local rent and prices.
What telecom equipment installers do
Install, set up, rearrange, or remove switching, distribution, routing, and dialing equipment used in central offices or headends. Service or repair telephone, cable television, Internet, and other communications equipment on customers' property. May install communications equipment or communications wiring in buildings.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Note differences in wire and cable colors so that work can be performed correctly.
- Test circuits and components of malfunctioning telecommunications equipment to isolate sources of malfunctions, using test meters, circuit diagrams, polarity probes, and other hand tools.
- Drive crew trucks to and from work areas.
- Assemble and install communication equipment such as data and telephone communication lines, wiring, switching equipment, wiring frames, power apparatus, computer systems, and networks.
- Inspect equipment on a regular basis to ensure proper functioning.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, telecom equipment installer jobs are projected to shrink 3.3% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 11,300 openings a year. About 1% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often telecom equipment installers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for telecom equipment installers.
Official California licensing site ↗
Requirements for telecom equipment installers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, telecom equipment installers have 168 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.9× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying CA metros for telecom equipment installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $92,290 | $79,827 | 1,850 |
| El CentroCALIFORNIA · CA | $89,600 | $94,143 | 50 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $87,950 | $79,648 | 1,060 |
| Yuba CityCALIFORNIA · CA | $86,140 | $82,642 | 40 |
| Santa CruzCALIFORNIA · CA | $83,030 | $75,553 | 60 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $79,410 | $73,675 | 120 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $77,890 | $71,431 | 90 |
| San DiegoCALIFORNIA · CA | $76,970 | $68,793 | 1,030 |
| Santa MariaCALIFORNIA · CA | $75,690 | $69,569 | 110 |
| ChicoCALIFORNIA · CA | $75,190 | $74,301 | 40 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Merced area's unemployment rate was 10.2% in 2025 (all workers, not just telecom equipment installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 10.3% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Merced area is 32 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 25% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 74% drive alone, 1% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Merced area's population grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025 (282,895 → 297,260), ranking #97 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +6,472) account for part of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Merced are down 23% from 2021 to 2025 (1,017 → 780).
In 2025 the Merced area approved permits for 780 new homes (697 single-family), or 2.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #244 of 393 metros.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $71,700 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get telecom equipment installer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Merced with another city →
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ToolMerced budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Merced metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Merced against every other metro for telecom equipment installers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.
Report a data issue on this page
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for telecom equipment installers as a separate industry, so that section is left out.