United States › California › Merced County COUNTY · 2010 ACS
Merced County California · 255,793 residents · 1,938 sq mi
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The short version
Merced County is a county of 255,793 people in California. This skews young, with a median age of 29.6. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 12% of adults. 25% of people here were born outside the United States. Owners hold 54% of the housing stock. That trails the California median by roughly 28%.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $52,703
Younger
median age 29.6
US median: 37.2
Less educated
12% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 72%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01
Population & growth from 29.0 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Population, 1990 – 2024
167K 201K 234K 268K 301K 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024 Merced County Age distribution, 2010
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Section 02
Income & economy $43,844
−3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $35,532 in 2000
US average: $52,703
from $14,257 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
from 25.1% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
from 21.7% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Workforce by industry, 2010
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 11.7%
Professional, scientific, technical 4.2%
Transportation & warehousing 3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food 1.7%
Education & health services 0.9%
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$241,000
+72%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $110,900 in 2000
US average: $225,659
$798
+22%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $518 in 2000
US average: $853
from 58.7% in 2000
45.5% rent
from 10.9% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
from 3.26 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
from 42.2% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
from 50.6% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
from 6.5 in 2009
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity 2000
White, non-Hispanic 40.6%(85,585)
Hispanic / Latino 45.3%(95,466)
2010
White, non-Hispanic 31.9%(81,599)
Hispanic / Latino 54.9%(140,485)
No data for the years selected.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry Hispanic origin
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data Ancestry
+ 38 more ancestry groups with data from 11.0% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
from 63.8% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
from 3.4% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06
Commute & transportation from 18.8 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
from 73.5% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
from 14.4% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
from 4.2% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
from 3.6% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
from 8.4% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07
Work & employment from 13.2% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
from 23.6% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08
People & community from 24.7% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
from 7.8% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Women 15+
Never married 39.2%(43,044)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).
from 19.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
from 40.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
from 9.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
from 12.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
from 42.8% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
from 1.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
from 49.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
from 51.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later) 24.8%(1,849)
Gulf War (1990s) 21%(1,564)
Share of the 7,464 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
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Drill deeper
Places similar to Merced County Head to head
Compare Merced County to nearby counties MERCED COUNTY VS
Stanislaus County
Income $81,468 +86%
Home value $450,100 +87%
Population 557,719 +88%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MERCED COUNTY VS
San Benito County
Income $114,394 +161%
Home value $793,400 +229%
Population 70,082 −76%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MERCED COUNTY VS
Mariposa County
Income $68,412 +56%
Home value $387,900 +61%
Population 16,918 −94%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MERCED COUNTY VS
Santa Clara County
Income $164,281 +275%
Home value $1,490,600 +519%
Population 1,914,391 +544%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Merced County, California? Merced County, California has about 255,793 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Merced County, California? The typical household in Merced County, California earns about $43,844 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Merced County, California expensive? In Merced County, California, the median home is worth about $241,000, and the typical rent is about $798 a month.
How educated are people in Merced County, California? About 12.5% of adults age 25 and over in Merced County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Merced County, California? About 21.8% of people in Merced County, California live below the federal poverty line.
Has Merced County, California grown since 1990? Yes, Merced County, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 77,390 residents, a change of about 43 percent over that period.
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