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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Merced County

California · 281,202 residents · 1,938 sq mi
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The short version

Merced County is a county of 281,202 people in California. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 14% of adults. This skews young, with a median age of 32.0. 26% of people here were born outside the United States. Growth has run 34% since 2000, or 70,648 more people. That trails the California median by roughly 28%.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 32.0
US median: 38.8
Less educated
14% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 61%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
281,202
+34%since 2000
from 210,554 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
32.0
+10%since 2000
from 29.0 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,938 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
167K201K234K268K301K19902000201020202024Merced County
2024290K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 57.1%(20,026)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 98%(22,629)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 148.6%(24,208)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 198.8%(24,782)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.6%(21,338)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3413.8%(38,711)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.6%(35,409)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.1%(31,107)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6410.5%(29,511)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 747.1%(20,047)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.5%(9,740)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.3%(3,694)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$56,330
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $35,532 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$23,677
+66%since 2000
from $14,257 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
35.4%
+10.2 ptssince 2009
from 25.1% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
18.8%
−2.9 ptssince 2000
from 21.7% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Agriculture, forestry, fishing11.9%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction11.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Information11.4%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade11%
US avg: 10%
Wholesale trade6.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance6.8%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical5.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing3.4%
US avg: 2.5%
Other services3%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration1.6%
US avg: 4.7%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$268,800
+61%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $110,900 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,054
+35%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $518 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
54.7%
−4.1 ptssince 2000
from 58.7% in 2000
45.3% rent
Persons per household
3.29 people
+1%since 2009
from 3.26 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
4.8
−26%since 2009
from 6.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
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-Hispanic40.6%(85,585)
Black3.6%(7,594)
Hispanic / Latino45.3%(95,466)
Asian6.7%(14,041)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic24.4%(68,729)
Black2.9%(8,191)
Hispanic / Latino61.8%(173,857)
Asian7%(19,824)
Other2.7%(7,478)
Segregation Score
30
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican57.4%(157,081)
Central American1.3%(3,609)
Salvadoran0.5%(1,290)
Guatemalan0.3%(830)
Costa Rican0.3%(734)
Puerto Rican0.2%(550)
Spaniard0.2%(532)
Honduran0.2%(515)
Cuban0.1%(226)
Nicaraguan0.1%(208)
Peruvian0.1%(192)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Bolivian0.1%(141)
Colombian0.1%(141)
Argentine0%(81)
Dominican0%(35)
Uruguayan0%(19)
Chilean0%(10)
Asian origin
Hmong2.4%(6,624)
Asian Indian2.1%(5,708)
Laotian0.7%(2,006)
Filipino0.7%(1,997)
Chinese0.5%(1,357)
Vietnamese0.3%(696)
Korean0.2%(678)
Japanese0.1%(271)
Thai0.1%(256)
Taiwanese0.1%(244)
Pakistani0.1%(149)
Cambodian0%(95)
+ 4 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Tongan0.2%(431)
Samoan0%(133)
Chamorro0%(105)
Fijian0%(52)
Ancestry
Portuguese5.4%(14,724)
German5.1%(14,043)
Irish4%(10,987)
English2.9%(7,809)
Italian2.1%(5,685)
American1.6%(4,419)
Dutch1.2%(3,160)
French0.7%(2,001)
Scottish0.6%(1,553)
Polish0.5%(1,365)
Swedish0.5%(1,266)
Norwegian0.4%(1,073)
+ 38 more ancestry groups with data
Danish0.4%(999)
Welsh0.3%(867)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(751)
British0.2%(578)
Swiss0.2%(519)
Russian0.2%(472)
Greek0.1%(300)
Iranian0.1%(275)
Ukrainian0.1%(179)
West Indian0.1%(158)
Hungarian0.1%(147)
Canadian0%(121)
Czech0%(118)
Iraqi0%(104)
Armenian0%(91)
Arab0%(89)
Finnish0%(82)
Lebanese0%(80)
Brazilian0%(72)
Belgian0%(54)
Austrian0%(51)
Romanian0%(50)
Syrian0%(44)
Nigerian0%(39)
Turkish0%(31)
Jamaican0%(31)
Slovak0%(28)
Croatian0%(25)
Jordanian0%(23)
Haitian0%(21)
Somali0%(14)
Moroccan0%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
14.1%
+3.0 ptssince 2000
from 11.0% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
69.7%
+5.9 ptssince 2000
from 63.8% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
4.5%
+1.1 ptssince 2000
from 3.4% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
28.9 min
+54%since 2000
from 18.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
79.3%
+5.8 ptssince 2009
from 73.5% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
7.1%
−1.3 ptssince 2009
from 8.4% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
10.7%
−4.5 ptssince 2011
from 15.2% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
59.5%
−1.4 ptssince 2011
from 60.9% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
63.4%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
23.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 23.6% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.3% in 2009
Female
49.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.7% in 2009
Foreign born
26.4%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 24.7% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
8.0%
−11.2 ptssince 2013
from 19.2% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
92.6%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
86.7%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married46%(51,577)
Married45.1%(50,501)
Widowed2.5%(2,838)
Divorced6.4%(7,166)
Women 15+
Never married39.2%(43,044)
Married43.5%(47,872)
Widowed7.9%(8,705)
Divorced9.4%(10,310)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
8.0%
−11.2 ptssince 2013
from 19.2% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
40.0%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
9.9%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
12.8%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
42.8%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.4%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
49.6%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
51.4%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)18.1%(1,572)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)16.5%(1,430)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era41.6%(3,614)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War9.4%(813)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II2.8%(243)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 8,692 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.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Merced County to nearby counties

MERCED COUNTY VS
Stanislaus County
Income$81,468+45%
Home value$450,100+67%
Population557,719+88%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MERCED COUNTY VS
San Benito County
Income$114,394+103%
Home value$793,400+195%
Population70,082−76%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MERCED COUNTY VS
Mariposa County
Income$68,412+21%
Home value$387,900+44%
Population16,918−94%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MERCED COUNTY VS
Santa Clara County
Income$164,281+192%
Home value$1,490,600+455%
Population1,914,391+544%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Merced County, California?

Merced County, California has about 281,202 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Merced County, California?

The typical household in Merced County, California earns about $56,330 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 $268,800, and the typical rent is about $1,054 a month.

How educated are people in Merced County, California?

About 14.1% 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 18.8% 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 102,799 residents, a change of about 58 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →