Merced County, California
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates
Merced County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Merced.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is named after the Merced River.
Merced County comprises the Merced, California Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Modesto-Merced, California 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 Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.2%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>
National protected areas
Demographics
2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 1990<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 89,006 | 96,701 | 85,585 | 81,599 | 68,729 | 66.15% | 54.20% | 40.65% | 31.90% | 24.44% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 6,618 | 7,889 | 7,594 | 8,785 | 8,191 | 4.92% | 4.42% | 3.61% | 3.43% | 2.91% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 1,091 | 1,135 | 1,115 | 1,126 | 1,164 | 0.81% | 0.64% | 0.53% | 0.44% | 0.41% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 2,891 | 14,109 | 14,041 | 18,183 | 19,824 | 2.15% | 7.91% | 6.67% | 7.11% | 7.05% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref> | x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref> | 281 | 476 | 617 | 0.13% | 0.19% | 0.13% | 0.19% | 0.22% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 900 | 462 | 410 | 439 | 1,242 | 0.67% | 0.26% | 0.19% | 0.17% | 0.44% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref> | x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref> | 6,062 | 4,700 | 7,578 | x | x | 2.88% | 1.84% | 2.69% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 34,054 | 58,107 | 95,466 | 140,485 | 173,857 | 25.31% | 32.57% | 45.34% | 54.92% | 61.83% |
| Total | 134,560 | 178,403 | 210,554 | 255,793 | 281,202 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2011
| Population, race, and income | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref> | 253,606 | ||||
| White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | 170,229 | 67.1% | |||
| Black or African American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | 9,837 | 3.9% | |||
| American Indian or Alaska Native<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | 2,617 | 1.0% | |||
| Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | 18,904 | 7.5% | |||
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | 517 | 0.2% | |||
| Some other race<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | 43,893 | 17.3% | |||
| Two or more races<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | 7,609 | 3.0% | |||
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref> | 137,974 | 54.4% | |||
| Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref> | $18,304 | ||||
| Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref> | $43,945 | ||||
| Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref> | $48,429 | ||||
Places by population, race, and income
| Places by population and race | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Type<ref name="US-CB">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref> | Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | Other<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> <ref name="other" group=note>Other = Some other race + Two or more races</ref> |
Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | Black or African American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> |
Native American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> <ref name="na" group=note>Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native</ref> |
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003"/> |
| Atwater | City | 27,922 | 66.0% | 21.6% | 7.0% | 4.3% | 1.1% | 49.2% |
| Ballico | CDP | 384 | 72.1% | 24.7% | 1.6% | 0.0% | 1.6% | 49.2% |
| Bear Creek | CDP | 188 | 44.7% | 55.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 89.4% |
| Cressey | CDP | 614 | 57.0% | 42.3% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 63.7% |
| Delhi | CDP | 9,892 | 59.0% | 28.9% | 7.1% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 67.8% |
| Dos Palos | City | 4,940 | 79.6% | 18.1% | 0.0% | 2.0% | 0.3% | 66.5% |
| Dos Palos Y | CDP | 207 | 77.3% | 22.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 65.2% |
| El Nido | CDP | 297 | 44.1% | 55.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 72.4% |
| Franklin | CDP | 5,766 | 71.4% | 14.8% | 6.6% | 2.5% | 4.7% | 56.4% |
| Gustine | City | 5,484 | 85.8% | 13.2% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 56.1% |
| Hilmar-Irwin | CDP | 5,224 | 95.1% | 3.6% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 9.2% |
| Le Grand | CDP | 1,893 | 51.8% | 47.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 88.4% |
| Livingston | City | 12,899 | 48.0% | 32.8% | 17.5% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 71.5% |
| Los Banos | City | 35,252 | 81.0% | 11.3% | 3.3% | 3.9% | 0.5% | 67.4% |
| McSwain | CDP | 4,041 | 82.8% | 8.8% | 6.7% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 20.6% |
| Merced | City | 78,111 | 56.1% | 24.1% | 11.4% | 6.8% | 1.7% | 49.6% |
| Planada | CDP | 4,366 | 52.3% | 44.2% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 0.8% | 96.2% |
| Santa Nella | CDP | 1,292 | 84.1% | 12.0% | 0.0% | 3.9% | 0.0% | 70.4% |
| Snelling | CDP | 97 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3.1% |
| South Dos Palos | CDP | 2,144 | 88.9% | 10.0% | 0.0% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 94.1% |
| Stevinson | CDP | 132 | 53.8% | 46.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 46.2% |
| Tuttle | CDP | 21 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| University of California, Merced | CDP | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Volta | CDP | 126 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 55.6% |
| Winton | CDP | 11,742 | 61.2% | 28.4% | 8.2% | 1.6% | 0.7% | 74.5% |
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%).<ref>Template:USCensus2010CA</ref>
| Population reported at 2010 United States census | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The County | Total Population |
White | African American |
Native American |
Asian | Pacific Islander |
other races |
two or more races |
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) |
| Merced County | 255,793 | 148,381 | 9,926 | 3,473 | 18,836 | 583 | 62,665 | 11,929 | 140,485 |
| Incorporated city |
Total Population |
White | African American |
Native American |
Asian | Pacific Islander |
other races |
two or more races |
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) |
| Atwater | 28,168 | 18,410 | 1,225 | 364 | 1,416 | 76 | 5,300 | 1,377 | 14,808 |
| Dos Palos | 4,950 | 3,377 | 167 | 62 | 37 | 4 | 1,075 | 228 | 3,075 |
| Gustine | 5,520 | 3,875 | 73 | 54 | 95 | 8 | 1,191 | 224 | 2,769 |
| Livingston | 13,058 | 5,263 | 106 | 348 | 2,223 | 18 | 4,547 | 553 | 9,547 |
| Los Banos | 35,972 | 20,846 | 1,354 | 512 | 1,162 | 134 | 10,123 | 1,841 | 23,346 |
| Merced | 78,958 | 41,177 | 4,958 | 1,153 | 9,342 | 174 | 17,804 | 4,350 | 39,140 |
| Census-designated place |
Total Population |
White | African American |
Native American |
Asian | Pacific Islander |
other races |
two or more races |
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) |
| Ballico | 406 | 237 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 128 | 23 | 210 |
| Bear Creek | 290 | 156 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 93 | 21 | 170 |
| Cressey | 394 | 253 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 95 | 26 | 195 |
| Delhi | 10,755 | 5,655 | 118 | 157 | 405 | 30 | 3,930 | 460 | 7,706 |
| Dos Palos Y | 323 | 225 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 82 | 6 | 197 |
| El Nido | 330 | 162 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 147 | 5 | 245 |
| Franklin | 6,149 | 3,455 | 273 | 77 | 931 | 12 | 1,072 | 329 | 3,250 |
| Hilmar-Irwin | 5,197 | 4,475 | 15 | 23 | 87 | 1 | 439 | 157 | 916 |
| Le Grand | 1,659 | 869 | 19 | 35 | 17 | 1 | 659 | 59 | 1,357 |
| McSwain | 4,171 | 3,196 | 56 | 34 | 282 | 9 | 422 | 172 | 1,081 |
| Planada | 4,584 | 1,681 | 22 | 23 | 46 | 1 | 2,725 | 86 | 4,347 |
| Santa Nella | 1,380 | 832 | 22 | 25 | 31 | 0 | 433 | 37 | 968 |
| Snelling | 231 | 206 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 33 |
| South Dos Palos | 1,620 | 809 | 135 | 21 | 36 | 10 | 552 | 57 | 1,262 |
| Stevinson | 313 | 228 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 8 | 133 |
| Tuttle | 103 | 77 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 31 |
| University of California, Merced | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Volta | 246 | 201 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 4 | 132 |
| Winton | 10,613 | 5,696 | 175 | 140 | 701 | 8 | 3,455 | 438 | 7,566 |
| Other unincorporated areas |
Total Population |
White | African American |
Native American |
Asian | Pacific Islander |
other races |
two or more races |
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) |
| All others not CDPs (combined) | 40,403 | 27,020 | 1,183 | 419 | 1,962 | 90 | 8,269 | 1,460 | 18,001 |
2000
As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 210,554 people, 63,815 households, and 49,775 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 68,373 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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.<ref>Oppenheim, Jamie. "Hmong youth not preserving traditions, professor says Template:Webarchive." Monday March 29, 2010. Retrieved on September 20, 2010.</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:CitationTemplate:Full citation needed</ref>
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 Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite GovTrack</ref>
In the California State Senate, Merced County is divided between Template:Representative, and Template:Representative. In the California State Assembly, the county is divided between Template:Representative, and Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Politics
Voter registration statistics
| Population and registered voters | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | 253,606 | |
| Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS">California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration Template:Webarchive. Retrieved October 31, 2013.</ref><ref name="PCT-RV" group=note>Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.</ref> | 98,874 | 39.0% |
| Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/> | 43,981 | 44.5% |
| Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/> | 32,767 | 33.1% |
| Democratic–Republican spread<ref name="CA-SS"/> | +11,214 | +11.4% |
| Independent<ref name="CA-SS"/> | 3,016 | 3.1% |
| Green<ref name="CA-SS"/> | 568 | 0.6% |
| Libertarian<ref name="CA-SS"/> | 483 | 0.5% |
| Peace and Freedom<ref name="CA-SS"/> | 318 | 0.3% |
| Americans Elect<ref name="CA-SS"/> | 2 | 0.0% |
| Other<ref name="CA-SS"/> | 180 | 0.2% |
| No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/> | 17,559 | 17.8% |
Cities by population and voter registration
| Cities by population and voter registration | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS"/> <ref name="PCT-RV" group=note/> |
Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/> | Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/> | D–R spread<ref name="CA-SS"/> | Other<ref name="CA-SS"/> | No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/> |
| 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.
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According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 20, 2008, there were 97,179 registered voters in Merced County.Template:Citation needed Of those, 44,704 (46.0%) are registered Democratic, 35,955 (37.0%) are registered Republican, 3,090 (3.2%) are registered with other political parties, and 13,430 (13.8%) declined to state a political party. Atwater and the county's unincorporated areas have Republican plurality registration advantages. All of the other cities and towns in the county have Democratic pluralities or majorities in voter registration. Merced County has seen a rightward tilt in recent years, voting "Yes" in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election despite voting for Governor Gavin Newsom by a margin of 4% in 2018. The county then voted for Republican nominee Brian Dahle in 2022 over Newsom, as well as for all Republican nominees for statewide office.
Merced County voted in favor of Proposition 8 in 2008 (which banned same-sex marriage by constitutional amendment) and voted against Proposition 3 in 2024 (which repealed Proposition 8). The level of support in the county for retaining the ban shrank from 70.8% in 2008 to 50.2% in 2024.
Crime
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.
| Population and crime rates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> | 253,606 | |
| Violent crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11">Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 Template:Webarchive. Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref> | 1,658 | 6.54 |
| Homicide<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/> | 26 | 0.10 |
| Forcible rape<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/> | 78 | 0.31 |
| Robbery<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/> | 276 | 1.09 |
| Aggravated assault<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/> | 1,278 | 5.04 |
| Property crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/> | 4,390 | 17.31 |
| Burglary<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/> | 2,318 | 9.14 |
| Larceny-theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/><ref name="LT-note group=note">Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.</ref> | 5,089 | 20.07 |
| Motor vehicle theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/> | 903 | 3.56 |
| Arson<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/> | 90 | 0.35 |
Cities by population and crime rates
| Cities by population and crime rates | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Population<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8">United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref> | Violent crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/> | Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons |
Property crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/> | Property crime rate per 1,000 persons |
| Atwater | 28,891 | 180 | 6.23 | 1,400 | 48.46 |
| Dos Palos | 5,079 | 59 | 11.62 | 162 | 31.90 |
| Gustine | 5,663 | 24 | 4.24 | 120 | 21.19 |
| Livingston | 13,394 | 74 | 5.52 | 306 | 22.85 |
| Los Banos | 36,897 | 142 | 3.85 | 1,210 | 32.79 |
| Merced | 80,976 | 810 | 10.00 | 4,111 | 50.77 |
Economy
According to America's Labor Market Information System 2014 report,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the companies with the largest employment in Merced are, in alphabetical order: Template:Div col
- Anberry Rehabilitation Hospital
- Atwater Elementary Teachers
- Bianchi & Sons Packing Co (produce)
- E & J Gallo Winery
- Foster Farms
- Golden Valley Health Center
- Hilmar Cheese Company
- J. Marchini & Son (farming)
- Liberty Packing Co
- Live Oak Farms (produce)
- Livingston District Office (education)
- Malibu Boats West Inc
- McLane Pacific (wholesale food services)
- Merced County Human Services
- Mercy Medical Center Merced
- Pacific Gas and Electric Company
- Quad/Graphics (printing)
- Sensient Dehydrated Flavors
- University of California, Merced
- Walmart
- Werner Co (ladders)
- Western Marketing & Sales (farming)
- Yosemite Wholesale Warehouse
Merced County grows 90% of California's sweet potato crop,<ref>"Farmers Markets: Stokes Purple is a sweet potato of mystery", Los Angeles Times, 2 November 2012</ref> due in part to the efforts of John Buttencourt Avila, called "the father of the sweet potato industry".
Transportation
Major highways
Interstate 5
State Route 33
State Route 59
State Route 99
State Route 140
State Route 152
State Route 165
Public transportation
- Merced County Transit, or "The Bus", provides local service in Merced as well as connecting service between most cities in Merced County.
- The University of California, Merced, operates its own transit system, Cat Tracks. This system connects with Merced County Transit.
- Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System, or YARTS, connects Merced with Yosemite National Park.
- Greyhound buses and Amtrak trains provide long-distance intercity service.
Airports
Merced Regional Airport, located Template:Convert southwest of downtown Merced, provides passenger air service. General aviation airports in the county include Castle Airport, Gustine Airport, and Los Banos Municipal Airport.
Communities
Cities
- Ballico
- Bear Creek
- Cressey
- Delhi
- Dos Palos Y
- El Nido
- Franklin
- Hilmar-Irwin
- Le Grand
- McSwain
- Planada
- Santa Nella
- Snelling
- South Dos Palos
- Stevinson
- Tuttle
- University of California Merced
- Volta
- Winton
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Merced County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
† county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2020 census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | † Merced | City | 86,333 |
| 2 | Los Banos | City | 45,532 |
| 3 | Atwater | City | 31,970 |
| 4 | Livingston | City | 14,172 |
| 5 | Winton | CDP | 11,709 |
| 6 | Delhi | CDP | 10,656 |
| 7 | Franklin-Beachwood | CDP | 6,919 |
| 8 | Gustine | City | 6,110 |
| 9 | Dos Palos | City | 5,798 |
| 10 | Hilmar-Irwin | CDP | 5,164 |
| 11 | McSwain | CDP | 4,480 |
| 12 | Planada | CDP | 4,164 |
| 13 | Santa Nella | CDP | 2,211 |
| 14 | South Dos Palos | CDP | 1,747 |
| 15 | Le Grand | CDP | 1,592 |
| 16-T | Cressey | CDP | 366 |
| 16-T | Volta | CDP | 366 |
| 18 | Ballico | CDP | 347 |
| 19 | El Nido | CDP | 331 |
| 20 | Dos Palos Y | CDP | 310 |
| 21 | Stevinson | CDP | 275 |
| 22 | Bear Creek | CDP | 273 |
| 23 | Snelling | CDP | 238 |
| 24 | Tuttle | CDP | 102 |
Education
School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - text list</ref>
K-12: Template:Div col
- Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District
- Delhi Unified School District
- Gustine Unified School District
- Hilmar Unified School District
- Los Banos Unified School District
- Turlock Unified School District
Secondary:
Elementary: Template:Div col
- Atwater Elementary School District
- Ballico-Cressey Elementary School District
- El Nido Elementary School District
- Le Grand Union Elementary School District
- Livingston Union School District
- McSwain Union Elementary School District
- Merced City Elementary School District
- Merced River Union Elementary School District
- Plainsburg Union Elementary School District
- Planada Elementary School District
- Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary School District
- Weaver Union Elementary School District
- Winton School District
University of California Merced is in the county.
Places of interest
The former Castle Air Force Base and the United States Penitentiary, Atwater are located in an unincorporated area near Atwater.
See also
- List of California Historical Landmarks
- List of museums in the San Joaquin Valley
- List of school districts in Merced County, California
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Merced County, California
Notes
References
Further reading
- A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Merced, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa, California. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1892.
External links
Template:Geographic Location Template:Merced County, California Template:San Joaquin Valley Template:California