Butte County vs Merced County
A side-by-side comparison of Butte County and Merced County: population, income, housing, and more.
Butte County and Merced County are counties in California. This page compares them across population, income, housing, education, commuting, and how each has changed since 2019.
Merced County has the higher population (285,597 vs 209,470 in Butte County). Butte County has the higher median household income ($68,574 vs $65,044 in Merced County). Butte County has the higher median home value ($408,700 vs $368,400 in Merced County).
Population, income & housing
| Butte County | Merced County | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 209,470 | 285,597 |
| Median age | 36.3 yrs | 31.8 yrs |
| Median household income | $68,574 | $65,044 |
| Median home value | $408,700 | $368,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,369 | $1,284 |
| Housing units | 91,176 | 89,610 |
| Homeownership rate | 58.3% | 53.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.7% | 14.8% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.1% | 10.8% |
Trends (ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)
| Butte County | Merced County | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 225,817 → 209,470 (-7.2%) | 271,382 → 285,597 (+5.2%) |
| Median household income | $52,537 → $68,574 (+30.5%) | $53,672 → $65,044 (+21.2%) |
| Median home value | $271,700 → $408,700 (+50.4%) | $252,700 → $368,400 (+45.8%) |
| Median gross rent | $1,060 → $1,369 (+29.2%) | $1,021 → $1,284 (+25.8%) |
Butte County
225,817209,470
$52,537$68,574
$271,700$408,700
$1,060$1,369
Merced County
271,382285,597
$53,672$65,044
$252,700$368,400
$1,021$1,284
Age & race/ethnicity
Age distribution (share)
| Butte County | Merced County | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 5.3% | 7.2% |
| 5 to 17 | 15.2% | 21.9% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.5% | 10.8% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.1% | 14.6% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.8% | 12.8% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 11.0% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.7% | 10.1% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.0% | 7.0% |
| 75 and over | 7.2% | 4.6% |
Race & ethnicity (share)
| Butte County | Merced County | |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 66.6% | 24.3% |
| Black or African American | 1.7% | 2.7% |
| American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.8% | 0.2% |
| Asian | 5.3% | 7.0% |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Some other race | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Two or more races | 5.4% | 2.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 19.5% | 62.7% |
Educational attainment (age 25+)
Share of adults 25+
| Butte County | Merced County | |
|---|---|---|
| No high school diploma | 9.7% | 28.1% |
| High school graduate | 22.3% | 28.7% |
| Some college or associate's | 36.3% | 28.4% |
| Bachelor's degree | 20.7% | 10.4% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 11.0% | 4.4% |
Commute to work
How workers get to work (share)
| Butte County | Merced County | |
|---|---|---|
| Drove alone | 72.6% | 76.8% |
| Carpooled | 9.7% | 10.1% |
| Public transit | 0.7% | 0.4% |
| Walked | 2.9% | 2.4% |
| Bicycle | 1.3% | 0.3% |
| Worked from home | 11.3% | 6.4% |
| Other means | 1.5% | 3.6% |
Housing
Units in structure (share)
| Butte County | Merced County | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-unit, detached | 61.4% | 74.1% |
| 1-unit, attached | 3.1% | 1.6% |
| 2 to 4 units | 9.4% | 7.9% |
| 5 to 19 units | 8.9% | 6.6% |
| 20 or more units | 6.2% | 3.0% |
| Mobile home & other | 11.0% | 6.8% |
Poverty & households
| Butte County | Merced County | |
|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 18.3% | 18.4% |
| Average household size | 2.47 | 3.32 |
| Mean commute (minutes) | 21 | 31 |
| Median year structure built | 1980 | 1984 |
Full profiles
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