Merced County, California

25 cities & places have their primary county here.

Population: 285,597
Median household income: $65,044
Median home value: $368,400

Merced County, California counts 285,597 residents. 25 cities and places have their primary county here. Its median household income of $65,044 runs below the California figure of $96,334.

From 2019 to 2023, Merced County's population grew 5.2% from 271,382 to 285,597, while its median household income rose 21.2% from $53,672 to $65,044.

74.1% of homes are single-family detached houses. The typical home was built around 1984.

Demographics

ACS 2019–2023

Population: 285,597
Median age: 31.8 yrs
Median household income: $65,044
Median home value: $368,400
Median gross rent: $1,284
Housing units: 89,610
Homeownership rate: 53.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 14.8%
Unemployment rate: 10.8%

Trends

ACS 5-year · 2019–2023

Population

271,382285,597

Median household income

$53,672$65,044

Median home value

$252,700$368,400

Median gross rent

$1,021$1,284

Year	Population	Median household income	Median home value	Median gross rent
2019	271,382	$53,672	$252,700	$1,021
2020	273,661	$56,330	$268,800	$1,054
2021	279,150	$58,861	$288,400	$1,125
2022	282,290	$64,772	$342,300	$1,200
2023	285,597	$65,044	$368,400	$1,284

Each year is a US Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimate ending that year.

Age distribution

Under 57.2%

5 to 1721.9%

18 to 2410.8%

25 to 3414.6%

35 to 4412.8%

45 to 5411.0%

55 to 6410.1%

65 to 747.0%

75 and over4.6%

	Count	Share
Under 5	20,595	7.2%
5 to 17	62,647	21.9%
18 to 24	30,869	10.8%
25 to 34	41,582	14.6%
35 to 44	36,642	12.8%
45 to 54	31,451	11.0%
55 to 64	28,743	10.1%
65 to 74	19,965	7.0%
75 and over	13,103	4.6%

Race & ethnicity

	Count	Share
White (non-Hispanic)	69,294	24.3%
Black or African American	7,773	2.7%
American Indian & Alaska Native	660	0.2%
Asian	19,976	7.0%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander	704	0.2%
Some other race	988	0.3%
Two or more races	7,241	2.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	178,961	62.7%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

No high school diploma28.1%

High school graduate28.7%

Some college or associate's28.4%

Bachelor's degree10.4%

Graduate or professional degree4.4%

	Count	Share
No high school diploma	48,206	28.1%
High school graduate	49,187	28.7%
Some college or associate's	48,747	28.4%
Bachelor's degree	17,760	10.4%
Graduate or professional degree	7,586	4.4%

Commute to work

Mean travel time to work: 31 min

Drove alone76.8%

Carpooled10.1%

Public transit0.4%

Walked2.4%

Bicycle0.3%

Worked from home6.4%

Other means3.6%

How workers get to work

	Count	Share
Drove alone	82,387	76.8%
Carpooled	10,786	10.1%
Public transit	470	0.4%
Walked	2,626	2.4%
Bicycle	328	0.3%
Worked from home	6,819	6.4%
Other means	3,894	3.6%

Travel time

	Count	Share
Under 15 min	35,938	35.8%
15 to 29 min	27,716	27.6%
30 to 44 min	13,925	13.9%
45 to 59 min	5,952	5.9%
60+ min	16,960	16.9%

Households

Average household size: 3.32
Poverty rate: 18.4% (51,655 of 280,675)

	Count	Share
Family households	63,278	74.8%
Nonfamily households	21,327	25.2%

Housing

Median year structure built: 1984

Occupancy

	Count	Share
Occupied	84,605	94.4%
Vacant	5,005	5.6%

Tenure (of occupied units)

	Count	Share
Owner-occupied	45,097	53.3%
Renter-occupied	39,508	46.7%

1-unit, detached74.1%

1-unit, attached1.6%

2 to 4 units7.9%

5 to 19 units6.6%

20 or more units3.0%

Mobile home & other6.8%

Units in structure

	Count	Share
1-unit, detached	66,364	74.1%
1-unit, attached	1,471	1.6%
2 to 4 units	7,058	7.9%
5 to 19 units	5,899	6.6%
20 or more units	2,712	3.0%
Mobile home & other	6,106	6.8%

Geography

County GEOID: 06047
State: California
Land area: 1,938 sq mi
Water area: 41 sq mi
Center point: 37.1948, -120.7228