Merced County ( ; Merced, Spanish for "Mercy") is a county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 281,202. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after the Merced River.
Merced County comprises the Merced, California metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland combined statistical area. It is located north of Fresno County and Fresno, and southeast of Santa Clara County and San Jose.
History The county derives its name from the Merced River, or El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced (River of Our Lady of Mercy), named in 1806 by an expedition headed by Gabriel Moraga, which came upon it at the end of a hot dusty ride on the El Camino Viejo across the San Joaquin Valley in Spanish colonial Las Californias Province.
Between 1841 and 1844, during the period when Alta California was a territory of independent Mexico, four Mexican land grants were made in what became Merced County: Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas, Rancho Panoche de San Juan y Los Carrisolitos, Rancho San Luis Gonzaga, and Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita
Merced County was formed in 1855 from parts of Mariposa County. Parts of its territory were given to Fresno County in 1856.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.2%) is water.
National protected areas Merced National Wildlife Refuge San Luis National Wildlife Refuge
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 281,202. The median age was 32.0 years. 28.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.7 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 37.2% White, 3.3% Black or African American, 2.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 7.4% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 31.7% from some other race, and 17.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 61.8% of the population.
83.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 16.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 83,464 households in the county, of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 87,783 housing units, of which 4.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 54.7% were owner-occupied and 45.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.9%.
Racial and ethnic composition +Merced County, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)89,00696,70185,58581,59968,72966.15%54.20%40.65%31.90%24.44%Black or African American alone (NH)6,6187,8897,5948,7858,1914.92%4.42%3.61%3.43%2.91%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1,0911,1351,1151,1261,1640.81%0.64%0.53%0.44%0.41%Asian alone (NH)2,89114,10914,04118,18319,8242.15%7.91%6.67%7.11%7.05%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census2814766170.13%0.19%0.13%0.19%0.22%Other race alone (NH)9004624104391,2420.67%0.26%0.19%0.17%0.44%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census6,0624,7007,578xx2.88%1.84%2.69%Hispanic or Latino (any race)34,05458,10795,466140,485173,85725.31%32.57%45.34%54.92%61.83%Total134,560178,403210,554255,793281,202 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Merced County had a population of 255,793. The racial makeup of Merced County was 148,381 (58.0%) White, 9,926 (3.9%) African American, 3,473 (1.4%) Native American, 18,836 (7.4%) Asian, 583 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 62,665 (24.5%) from other races, and 11,929 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 140,485 persons (54.9%).
Population reported at 2010 United States censusThe County TotalPopulationWhite AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino(of any race) Merced County255,793148,3819,9263,47318,83658362,66511,929140,485Incorporatedcity TotalPopulationWhite AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino(of any race)Atwater28,16818,4101,2253641,416765,3001,37714,808Dos Palos4,9503,377167623741,0752283,075Gustine5,5203,87573549581,1912242,769Livingston13,0585,2631063482,223184,5475539,547Los Banos35,97220,8461,3545121,16213410,1231,84123,346Merced78,95841,1774,9581,1539,34217417,8044,35039,140Census-designatedplace TotalPopulationWhite AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino(of any race)Ballico4062372311212823210Bear Creek290156421409321170Cressey394253131519526195Delhi10,7555,655118157405303,9304607,706Dos Palos Y3232251810826197El Nido33016207901475245Franklin6,1493,45527377931121,0723293,250Hilmar-Irwin5,1974,4751523871439157916Le Grand1,6598691935171659591,357McSwain4,1713,196563428294221721,081Planada4,5841,68122234612,725864,347Santa Nella1,380832222531043337968Snelling231206036013333South Dos Palos1,620809135213610552571,262Stevinson3132284000738133Tuttle1037760609531University of California, Merced000000000Volta2462017014294132Winton10,6135,69617514070183,4554387,566Otherunincorporated areas TotalPopulationWhite AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino(of any race)All others not CDPs (combined)40,40327,0201,1834191,962908,2691,46018,001
2000 As of the census of 2000, there were 210,554 people, 63,815 households, and 49,775 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 68,373 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 56.2% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American, 6.8% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 26.1% from other races, and 5.7% from two or more races. 45.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 6.6% were of Portuguese and 6.0% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 55.1% spoke English, 35.3% Spanish, 3.2% Hmong, 2.9% Portuguese and 1.0% Punjabi as their first language.
There were 63,815 households, out of which 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.25 and the average family size was 3.69.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 34.5% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,532, and the median income for a family was $38,009. Males had a median income of $31,721 versus $23,911 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,257. About 16.9% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.4% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2008, according to the Lao Family Community, a nonprofit organization, about 8,000 Hmong lived in Merced County.Oppenheim, Jamie. "Hmong youth not preserving traditions, professor says ." Monday March 29, 2010. Retrieved on September 20, 2010.
Government and policing County government Merced County is a California Constitution defined general law county and is governed by an elected Board of Supervisors. The Board consists of five members, elected by districts, who serve four-year staggered terms.
Merced County Sheriff's Office
The Merced County Sheriff's Office provides court protection, jail administration, and coroner service for the entire county. It provides patrol, detective, and other police services for the unincorporated parts of the county. The main sheriff station and offices are at Merced. There are two sheriff's substations. A Grand Jury report in 2010 stated that the Sheriff processed 12,746 average jail bookings per year with an average daily jail population of 1,123.
Municipal police departments Municipal police departments in the county are: Merced, population 83,000; Los Banos, population 38,000; Atwater, population 30,000; Livingston, population 13,000; Gustine, population 6,000; Dos Palos, population 5,500.
State and federal representation In the United States House of Representatives, Merced County is in .
In the California State Senate, Merced County is divided between , and . In the California State Assembly, the county is divided between , and .
Politics
Voter registration statistics Population and registered voters Total populationU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 253,606 Registered votersCalifornia Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration . Retrieved October 31, 2013.Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow. 98,874 39.0% Democratic 43,981 44.5% Republican 32,767 33.1% Democratic–Republican spread +11,214 +11.4% Independent 3,016 3.1% Green 568 0.6% Libertarian 483 0.5% Peace and Freedom 318 0.3% Americans Elect 2 0.0% Other 180 0.2% No party preference 17,559 17.8%
Cities by population and voter registration Cities by population and voter registration City Population Registered voters Democratic Republican D–R spread Other No party preference Atwater 27,922 41.0% 39.4% 37.4% +2.0% 8.2% 18.3% Dos Palos 4,940 38.0% 44.4% 35.0% +9.4% 9.9% 14.9% Gustine 5,484 38.3% 48.2% 30.3% +17.9% 7.7% 17.0% Livingston 12,899 34.6% 62.2% 15.9% +46.3% 4.9% 18.9% Los Banos 35,252 37.6% 50.1% 27.6% +22.5% 7.8% 17.7% Merced 78,111 41.0% 46.4% 30.2% +16.2% 8.2% 18.3%
Overview Merced County has been somewhat of a bellwether county for presidential elections. Since 1916, it has voted for the winner in each election except in 1956 when it voted for Adlai Stevenson II instead of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1968 when it voted for Hubert Humphrey instead of Richard Nixon, and 2016 when it voted for Hillary Clinton instead of Donald Trump. In 2024, Donald Trump won the county in a slim victory, continuing the county's bellwether county status.
Trump's win in Merced County made it one of ten counties in California to flip from Biden to Trump, as well as making Merced one of six counties to vote for the Republican presidential candidate for the first time in 20 years since George W. Bush in 2004. Democrat Barack Obama won a majority in the county in both 2008 and 2012. Before that, Republican George W. Bush won a majority in the county in both 2000 and 2004.