View source for Merced County, California

{{short description|County in California, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = Merced County
| settlement_type    = [[List of counties in California|County]]
<!-- Images and maps  ----------->
| image_skyline      =  {{multiple image
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  | border             = infobox
  | perrow             = 1/2/2
  | caption_align      = center
  | image1             = Banks of San Luis Reservoir in July 2021 redux (cropped).JPG
  | caption1           = [[San Luis Reservoir]] in the [[Diablo Range]]
  | image2             = Merced Theatre (cropped).JPG
  | caption2           = [[Merced, California|Merced]]
  | image3             = Dinosaur point san luis reservoir sra.jpg
  | caption3           = [[Pacheco State Park]]
  | image4             = Various Shapes of Farmland - El Nido, California (49394856661).jpg
  | caption4           = [[El Nido, California|El Nido]]
  | image5             = Mission_de_Oro_(Santa_Nella,_California).jpg
  | caption5           = [[Santa Nella, California|Santa Nella]]
  }}
| image_caption                   = 
| image_flag                      = 
| image_seal                      = Seal of Merced County, California.png
 | image_shield             = 
 | image_blank_emblem       = 
 | blank_emblem_type        =  
 | blank_emblem_size        = 
| image_map                       = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=250|frame-align=center|type=shape|fill=#ffffff|fill-opacity=0|stroke-width=3}}
| map_caption                     = Interactive map of Merced County
| image_map1                      = Map of California highlighting Merced County.svg
| mapsize1                        = 200px
| map_caption1                    = Location in the state of [[California]]
| coordinates                     = {{coord|37.19|-120.71|type:adm2nd_region:US-CA_source:UScensus1990|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = United States
| subdivision_type1               = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1               = California
| subdivision_type2               = [[List of regions of California|Region]]
| subdivision_name2               = [[San Joaquin Valley]]
| established_title               = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date                = April 19, 1855<ref>{{Cite GNIS|277288|Merced County|access-date=January 31, 2015}}</ref>
| named_for                       = [[Merced River]], originally ''El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced'' ("River of Our Lady of Mercy" in Spanish).
| seat_type                       = [[County seat]]
| seat                            = [[Merced, California|Merced]]
| seat1_type                      = Largest city
| seat1                           = Merced
| unit_pref                       = US
| area_total_sq_mi                = 1979
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 1935
| area_water_sq_mi                = 44
| elevation_min_ft                = 
<!-- Government ----------->
| government_type          = [[Council–manager government|Council–CEO]]
| governing_body           = Board of Supervisors
| leader_title1            = Chair
| leader_name1             = Josh Pedrozo
| leader_title2            = Vice Chair
| leader_name2             = Daron McDaniel
| leader_title3            = Board of Supervisors<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.countyofmerced.com/248/Board-Members | title=Board Members &#124; Merced County, CA - Official Website }}</ref>
| leader_name3             = {{Collapsible list
| title = Supervisors
| frame_style = border:none; padding:0;
| list_style  = text-align:left;
| 1  = Jim Pacheco
| 2  = Josh Pedrozo
| 3  = Daron McDaniel
| 4  = Lloyd Pareira, Jr
| 5  = Scott Silveira
}}
| leader_title4            = [[Chief executive officer]]
| leader_name4             = Raul Lomeli Mendez
<!-- Population ----------->
| elevation_max_footnotes         = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=1222|title=Laveaga Peak|publisher=Peakbagger.com|access-date=January 31, 2015}}</ref>
| elevation_min_footnotes         = 
| population_total                = 281202
| population_as_of                = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes            = 
| population_density_sq_mi        = auto
| population_est                  = 
| pop_est_as_of                   = 
| pop_est_footnotes               = 
| demographics_type2        = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes  = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Merced County, CA |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPALL06047|work=[[Federal Reserve Economic Data]] |publisher=[[Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis]]}}</ref>
|demographics2_title1     = Total
|demographics2_info1      = $11.560 billion (2022)
| postal_code_type                = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code                     = 93620, 93635, 93661, 93665, 95301, 95303, 95312, 95315, 95317, 95322, 95324, 95333, 95334, 95388, 95340, 95341, 95343, 95344, 95348, 95365, 95369, 95374<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zip-codes.com/county/CA-MERCED.asp|title=Merced County, CA Zip Codes|publisher=Zip-Codes.com|access-date=May 29, 2016}}</ref>
| area_code                       = [[Area code 209|209]]
| area_code_type                  = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| blank_name_sec1                 = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
| blank_info_sec1                 = 06-047
| blank1_name_sec1                = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info_sec1                = {{GNIS 4|277288}}
| blank2_name_sec1                = Congressional district
| blank2_info_sec1                = [[California's 13th congressional district|13th]]
| website                         = {{URL|www.co.merced.ca.us}}
| footnotes                       = 
| image_size                      = 
| elevation_max_ft                = 3801
| timezone                        = [[Pacific Time Zone]]
| utc_offset                      = &minus;8
| timezone_DST                    = [[Pacific Daylight Time]]
| utc_offset_DST                  = &minus;7
}}

'''Merced County''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-merced.ogg|m|əːr|.|ˈ|s|ɛ|d}} {{respell|mur|SED}}; ''Merced'', [[Spanish language in California|Spanish]] for "[[Mercy]]") is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the northern [[San Joaquin Valley]] section of the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]], in the [[U.S. state]] of [[California]].

As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 281,202.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Merced County, California|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US06047|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 30, 2022}}</ref> The county seat is [[Merced, California|Merced]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The county is named after the [[Merced River]].

Merced County comprises the Merced, California [[Metropolitan statistical area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]], which is included in the [[Modesto, California|Modesto]]-Merced, California [[Combined statistical area|Combined Statistical Area]]. It is located north of [[Fresno County, California|Fresno County]] and [[Fresno, California|Fresno]], and southeast of [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara County]] and [[San Jose, California|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 [[Ranchos of California|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, California|Mariposa County]]. Parts of its territory were given to [[Fresno County, California|Fresno County]] in 1856.

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|1979|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1935|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|44|sqmi}} (2.2%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_06.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 28, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

===National protected areas===
* [[Merced National Wildlife Refuge]]
* [[San Luis National Wildlife Refuge]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1860 = 1141
| 1870 = 2807
| 1880 = 5656
| 1890 = 8085
| 1900 = 9215
| 1910 = 15148
| 1920 = 24579
| 1930 = 36748
| 1940 = 46988
| 1950 = 69780
| 1960 = 90446
| 1970 = 104629
| 1980 = 134560
| 1990 = 178403
| 2000 = 210554
| 2010 = 255793
| 2020 = 281202
|estyear=2024
|estimate=296774
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 9, 2025}}</ref>
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 24, 2022}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=September 28, 2015}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ca190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=September 28, 2015}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=September 28, 2015}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Merced County, California – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 1980<ref>{{Cite web |title=California: 1980, General Social and Economic Characteristics, Part 1 - Table 59: Persons by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Sex|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_caCs1-01.pdf|access-date=}}</ref>
!Pop 1990<ref>{{Cite web |title=California: 1990, Part 1 - Table 5: Race and Hispanic Origin|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-6-1.pdf |access-date=July 14, 2024}}</ref>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Merced County, California|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=050XX00US06047&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Merced County, California|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US06047&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Merced County, California|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US06047&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!% 1980
!% 1990
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|89,006
|96,701
|85,585
|81,599
|style='background: #ffffe6; |68,729
|66.15%
|54.20%
|40.65%
|31.90%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |24.44%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|6,618
|7,889
|7,594
|8,785
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,191
|4.92%
|4.42%
|3.61%
|3.43%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.91%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|1,091
|1,135
|1,115
|1,126
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,164
|0.81%
|0.64%
|0.53%
|0.44%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.41%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|2,891
|14,109
|14,041
|18,183
|style='background: #ffffe6; |19,824
|2.15%
|7.91%
|6.67%
|7.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.05%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|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
|style='background: #ffffe6; |617
|0.13%
|0.19%
|0.13%
|0.19%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|900
|462
|410
|439
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,242
|0.67%
|0.26%
|0.19%
|0.17%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.44%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|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
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,578
|x
|x
|2.88%
|1.84%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.69%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|34,054
|58,107
|95,466
|140,485
|style='background: #ffffe6; |173,857
|25.31%
|32.57%
|45.34%
|54.92%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |61.83%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''134,560'''
|'''178,403'''
|'''210,554'''
|'''255,793'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''281,202 '''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

=== 2011 ===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! colspan=6 | Population, race, and income
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>
| colspan=2 | 253,606
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 170,229
| 67.1%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Black or African American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 9,837
| 3.9%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;American Indian or Alaska Native<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 2,617
| 1.0%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 18,904
| 7.5%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 517
| 0.2%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Some other race<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 43,893
| 17.3%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Two or more races<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 7,609
| 3.0%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;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. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>
| 137,974
| 54.4%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
| colspan=2 | $18,304
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
| colspan=2 | $43,945
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
| colspan=2 | $48,429
|}

==== Places by population, race, and income ====
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan=9 | 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. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Other<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/><br /><ref name="other" group=note>Other = Some other race + Two or more races</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Black or African<br />American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Native American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/><br /><ref name="na" group=note>Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Hispanic or Latino<br />(of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003"/>
|-
| [[Atwater, California|Atwater]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 27,922 || 66.0% || 21.6% || 7.0% || 4.3% || 1.1% || 49.2%
|-
| [[Ballico, California|Ballico]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 384 || 72.1% || 24.7% || 1.6% || 0.0% || 1.6% || 49.2%
|-
| [[Bear Creek, Merced County, California|Bear Creek]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 188 || 44.7% || 55.3% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 89.4%
|-
| [[Cressey, California|Cressey]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 614 || 57.0% || 42.3% || 0.7% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 63.7%
|-
| [[Delhi, California|Delhi]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 9,892 || 59.0% || 28.9% || 7.1% || 2.2% || 2.8% || 67.8%
|-
| [[Dos Palos, California|Dos Palos]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 4,940 || 79.6% || 18.1% || 0.0% || 2.0% || 0.3% || 66.5%
|-
| [[Dos Palos Y, California|Dos Palos Y]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 207 || 77.3% || 22.7% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 65.2%
|-
| [[El Nido, Merced County, California|El Nido]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 297 || 44.1% || 55.9% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 72.4%
|-
| [[Franklin, Merced County, California|Franklin]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 5,766 || 71.4% || 14.8% || 6.6% || 2.5% || 4.7% || 56.4%
|-
| [[Gustine, California|Gustine]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 5,484 || 85.8% || 13.2% || 0.3% || 0.0% || 0.6% || 56.1%
|-
| [[Hilmar-Irwin, California|Hilmar-Irwin]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 5,224 || 95.1% || 3.6% || 1.0% || 0.2% || 0.0% || 9.2%
|-
| [[Le Grand, California|Le Grand]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,893 || 51.8% || 47.4% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.8% || 88.4%
|-
| [[Livingston, California|Livingston]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 12,899 || 48.0% || 32.8% || 17.5% || 0.9% || 0.9% || 71.5%
|-
| [[Los Banos, California|Los Banos]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 35,252 || 81.0% || 11.3% || 3.3% || 3.9% || 0.5% || 67.4%
|-
| [[McSwain, California|McSwain]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 4,041 || 82.8% || 8.8% || 6.7% || 0.3% || 1.4% || 20.6%
|-
| [[Merced, California|Merced]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 78,111 || 56.1% || 24.1% || 11.4% || 6.8% || 1.7% || 49.6%
|-
| [[Planada, California|Planada]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 4,366 || 52.3% || 44.2% || 1.2% || 1.6% || 0.8% || 96.2%
|-
| [[Santa Nella, California|Santa Nella]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,292 || 84.1% || 12.0% || 0.0% || 3.9% || 0.0% || 70.4%
|-
| [[Snelling, California|Snelling]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 97 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 3.1%
|-
| [[South Dos Palos, California|South Dos Palos]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 2,144 || 88.9% || 10.0% || 0.0% || 1.1% || 0.0% || 94.1%
|-
| [[Stevinson, California|Stevinson]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 132 || 53.8% || 46.2% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 46.2%
|-
| [[Tuttle, California|Tuttle]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 21 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| [[University of California, Merced]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 0 || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%
|-
| [[Volta, California|Volta]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 126 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 55.6%
|-
| [[Winton, California|Winton]] || [[Census-designated place|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 (U.S. Census)|White]], 9,926 (3.9%) [[African American (U.S. census)|African American]], 3,473 (1.4%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 18,836 (7.4%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 583 (0.2%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 62,665 (24.5%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 11,929 (4.7%) from two or more races.  [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 140,485 persons (54.9%).<ref>{{USCensus2010CA}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
!colspan=10|Population reported at [[2010 United States census]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|'''The County''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''Total<br/>Population'''||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[African American (U.S. census)|African<br/>American]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br/>American]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br/>Islander]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br/>races]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''two or<br/>more races''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br/>or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''
|-
|''' Merced County'''
|align="right"|255,793||align="right"|148,381||align="right"|9,926||align="right"|3,473||align="right"|18,836||align="right"|583||align="right"|62,665||align="right"|11,929||align="right"|140,485
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|'''[[Incorporated city|Incorporated<br/>city]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''Total<br/>Population'''||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[African American (U.S. census)|African<br/>American]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br/>American]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br/>Islander]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br/>races]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''two or<br/>more races''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br/>or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''
|-
|'''[[Atwater, California|Atwater]]'''
|align="right"|28,168||align="right"|18,410||align="right"|1,225||align="right"|364||align="right"|1,416||align="right"|76||align="right"|5,300||align="right"|1,377||align="right"|14,808
|-
|'''[[Dos Palos, California|Dos Palos]]'''
|align="right"|4,950||align="right"|3,377||align="right"|167||align="right"|62||align="right"|37||align="right"|4||align="right"|1,075||align="right"|228||align="right"|3,075
|-
|'''[[Gustine, California|Gustine]]'''
|align="right"|5,520||align="right"|3,875||align="right"|73||align="right"|54||align="right"|95||align="right"|8||align="right"|1,191||align="right"|224||align="right"|2,769
|-
|'''[[Livingston, California|Livingston]]'''
|align="right"|13,058||align="right"|5,263||align="right"|106||align="right"|348||align="right"|2,223||align="right"|18||align="right"|4,547||align="right"|553||align="right"|9,547
|-
|'''[[Los Banos, California|Los Banos]]'''
|align="right"|35,972||align="right"|20,846||align="right"|1,354||align="right"|512||align="right"|1,162||align="right"|134||align="right"|10,123||align="right"|1,841||align="right"|23,346
|-
|'''[[Merced, California|Merced]]'''
|align="right"|78,958||align="right"|41,177||align="right"|4,958||align="right"|1,153||align="right"|9,342||align="right"|174||align="right"|17,804||align="right"|4,350||align="right"|39,140
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|'''[[Census-designated place|Census-designated<br/>place]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''Total<br/>Population'''||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[African American (U.S. census)|African<br/>American]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br/>American]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br/>Islander]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br/>races]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''two or<br/>more races''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br/>or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''
|-
|'''[[Ballico, California|Ballico]]'''
|align="right"|406||align="right"|237||align="right"|2||align="right"|3||align="right"|11||align="right"|2||align="right"|128||align="right"|23||align="right"|210
|-
|'''[[Bear Creek, Merced County, California|Bear Creek]]'''
|align="right"|290||align="right"|156||align="right"|4||align="right"|2||align="right"|14||align="right"|0||align="right"|93||align="right"|21||align="right"|170
|-
|'''[[Cressey, California|Cressey]]'''
|align="right"|394||align="right"|253||align="right"|1||align="right"|3||align="right"|15||align="right"|1||align="right"|95||align="right"|26||align="right"|195
|-
|'''[[Delhi, California|Delhi]]'''
|align="right"|10,755||align="right"|5,655||align="right"|118||align="right"|157||align="right"|405||align="right"|30||align="right"|3,930||align="right"|460||align="right"|7,706
|-
|'''[[Dos Palos Y, California|Dos Palos Y]]'''
|align="right"|323||align="right"|225||align="right"|1||align="right"|8||align="right"|1||align="right"|0||align="right"|82||align="right"|6||align="right"|197
|-
|'''[[El Nido, Merced County, California|El Nido]]'''
|align="right"|330||align="right"|162||align="right"|0||align="right"|7||align="right"|9||align="right"|0||align="right"|147||align="right"|5||align="right"|245
|-
|'''[[Franklin, Merced County, California|Franklin]]'''
|align="right"|6,149||align="right"|3,455||align="right"|273||align="right"|77||align="right"|931||align="right"|12||align="right"|1,072||align="right"|329||align="right"|3,250
|-
|'''[[Hilmar-Irwin, California|Hilmar-Irwin]]'''
|align="right"|5,197||align="right"|4,475||align="right"|15||align="right"|23||align="right"|87||align="right"|1||align="right"|439||align="right"|157||align="right"|916
|-
|'''[[Le Grand, California|Le Grand]]'''
|align="right"|1,659||align="right"|869||align="right"|19||align="right"|35||align="right"|17||align="right"|1||align="right"|659||align="right"|59||align="right"|1,357
|-
|'''[[McSwain, California|McSwain]]'''
|align="right"|4,171||align="right"|3,196||align="right"|56||align="right"|34||align="right"|282||align="right"|9||align="right"|422||align="right"|172||align="right"|1,081
|-
|'''[[Planada, California|Planada]]'''
|align="right"|4,584||align="right"|1,681||align="right"|22||align="right"|23||align="right"|46||align="right"|1||align="right"|2,725||align="right"|86||align="right"|4,347
|-
|'''[[Santa Nella, California|Santa Nella]]'''
|align="right"|1,380||align="right"|832||align="right"|22||align="right"|25||align="right"|31||align="right"|0||align="right"|433||align="right"|37||align="right"|968
|-
|'''[[Snelling, California|Snelling]]'''
|align="right"|231||align="right"|206||align="right"|0||align="right"|3||align="right"|6||align="right"|0||align="right"|13||align="right"|3||align="right"|33
|-
|'''[[South Dos Palos, California|South Dos Palos]]'''
|align="right"|1,620||align="right"|809||align="right"|135||align="right"|21||align="right"|36||align="right"|10||align="right"|552||align="right"|57||align="right"|1,262
|-
|'''[[Stevinson, California|Stevinson]]'''
|align="right"|313||align="right"|228||align="right"|4||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|73||align="right"|8||align="right"|133
|-
|'''[[Tuttle, California|Tuttle]]'''
|align="right"|103||align="right"|77||align="right"|6||align="right"|0||align="right"|6||align="right"|0||align="right"|9||align="right"|5||align="right"|31
|-
|'''[[University of California, Merced]]'''
|align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0
|-
|'''[[Volta, California|Volta]]'''
|align="right"|246||align="right"|201||align="right"|7||align="right"|0||align="right"|1||align="right"|4||align="right"|29||align="right"|4||align="right"|132
|-
|'''[[Winton, California|Winton]]'''
|align="right"|10,613||align="right"|5,696||align="right"|175||align="right"|140||align="right"|701||align="right"|8||align="right"|3,455||align="right"|438||align="right"|7,566
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|'''Other<br />[[unincorporated area]]s''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''Total<br />Population'''||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[African American (U.S. census)|African<br />American]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br />American]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br />Islander]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br />races]]''' ||style="text-align:center;"| '''two or<br />more races''' ||style="text-align:center;"|'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br />or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''
|-
|All others not CDPs (combined)
|align="right"|40,403||align="right"|27,020||align="right"|1,183||align="right"|419||align="right"|1,962||align="right"|90||align="right"|8,269||align="right"|1,460||align="right"|18,001
|}

===2000===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 210,554 people, 63,815 households, and 49,775 families residing in the county. The [[population density]] was {{convert|109|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people}}. There were 68,373 housing units at an average density of {{convert|36|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the county was 56.2% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 3.8% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 1.2% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 6.8% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.2% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 26.1% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 5.7% from two or more races. 45.3% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race. 6.6% were of [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] and 6.0% [[German people|German]] ancestry according to [[Census 2000]]. 55.1% spoke [[English language|English]], 35.3% [[Spanish language|Spanish]], 3.2% [[Hmong language|Hmong]], 2.9% [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and 1.0% [[Punjabi language|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 [[Marriage|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 people|Hmong]] lived in Merced County.<ref>Oppenheim, Jamie. "[http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/03/29/1366628/hmong-youth-not-preserving-traditions.html Hmong youth not preserving traditions, professor says] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608185151/http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/03/29/1366628/hmong-youth-not-preserving-traditions.html |date=June 8, 2010 }}." 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>{{Cite web
 | url = http://www.co.merced.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=61
 | title = Board of Supervisors
 | publisher = Merced County, CA
 | access-date = January 5, 2015}}</ref>

===Merced County Sheriff's Office ===
[[File:Seal of the Merced County Sheriff's Office.png|thumb|upright|The seal of the 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>{{citation|title=Grand Jury report 2010 website}}{{full citation needed|date=May 2025}}</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 {{Representative|cacd|13|fmt=district}}.<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|13|access-date=April 18, 2023}}</ref>

In the [[California State Senate]], Merced County is divided between {{Representative|casd|4|fmt=sdistrict}}, and {{Representative|casd|14|fmt=sdistrict}}. In the [[California State Assembly]], the county is divided between {{Representative|caad|22|fmt=adistrict}}, and {{Representative|caad|27|fmt=adistrict}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Final Maps {{!}} California Citizens Redistricting Commission |url=https://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/final-maps/ |access-date=November 4, 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

== Politics ==

=== Voter registration statistics ===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! colspan="3" | Population and registered voters
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| colspan="2" | 253,606
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS">California Secretary of State. [http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/ror-odd-year-2013/political-sub.pdf February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727173649/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/ror-odd-year-2013/political-sub.pdf |date=July 27, 2013 }}. 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%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 43,981
| 44.5%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 32,767
| 33.1%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Democratic&ndash;Republican spread<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| <span style="color: #2b00d6;">'''+11,214'''</span>
| <span style="color: #2b00d6;">'''+11.4%'''</span>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Independent<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 3,016
| 3.1%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Green<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 568
| 0.6%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Libertarian<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 483
| 0.5%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Peace and Freedom<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 318
| 0.3%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Americans Elect<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 2
| 0.0%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Other<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 180
| 0.2%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 17,559
| 17.8%
|}

==== Cities by population and voter registration ====
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan="8" | Cities by population and voter registration
|-
! City
! data-sort-type="number" | Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS"/><br /><ref name="PCT-RV" group=note/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | D&ndash;R spread<ref name="CA-SS"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Other<ref name="CA-SS"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/>
|-
| [[Atwater, California|Atwater]] || 27,922 || 41.0% || 39.4% || 37.4% || <span style="color: #800080;">'''+2.0%'''</span> || 8.2% || 18.3%
|-
| [[Dos Palos, California|Dos Palos]] || 4,940 || 38.0% || 44.4% || 35.0% || <span style="color: #800080;">'''+9.4%'''</span> || 9.9% || 14.9%
|-
| [[Gustine, California|Gustine]] || 5,484 || 38.3% || 48.2% || 30.3% || <span style="color: #2b00d6;">'''+17.9%'''</span> || 7.7% || 17.0%
|-
| [[Livingston, California|Livingston]] || 12,899 || 34.6% || 62.2% || 15.9% || <span style="color: #0000ff;">'''+46.3%'''</span> || 4.9% || 18.9%
|-
| [[Los Banos, California|Los Banos]] || 35,252 || 37.6% || 50.1% || 27.6% || <span style="color: #2b00d6;">'''+22.5%'''</span> || 7.8% || 17.7%
|-
| [[Merced, California|Merced]] || 78,111 || 41.0% || 46.4% || 30.2% || <span style="color: #2b00d6;">'''+16.2%'''</span> || 8.2% || 18.3%
|}

=== Overview ===
Merced County has been somewhat of a bellwether county for presidential elections. Since [[1916 United States presidential election in California|1916]], it has voted for the winner in each election except in [[1956 United States presidential election in California|1956]] when it voted for [[Adlai Stevenson II]] instead of [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], [[1968 United States presidential election in California|1968]] when it voted for [[Hubert Humphrey]] instead of [[Richard Nixon]], and [[2016 United States presidential election in California|2016]] when it voted for [[Hillary Clinton]] instead of [[Donald Trump]]. In [[2024 United States presidential election in California|2024]], [[Donald Trump]] won the county in a slim victory, continuing the county's bellwether county status.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Election Night Reporting |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CA/Merced/122862/web.345435/#/summary |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=results.enr.clarityelections.com |language=en}}</ref>

[[Donald Trump|Trump]]'s win in Merced County made it one of ten counties in California to flip from [[Joe Biden|Biden]] to [[Donald Trump|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 United States presidential election in California|2004]]. Democrat [[Barack Obama]] won a majority in the county in both [[2008 United States presidential election in California|2008]] and [[2012 United States presidential election in California|2012]]. Before that, Republican [[George W. Bush]] won a majority in the county in both [[2000 United States presidential election in California|2000]] and [[2004 United States presidential election in California|2004]].

{{PresHead|place=Merced County, California|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 16, 2018}}</ref>|source2=<ref group=note>This total comprised 1,571 votes for [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Progressive]] [[Theodore Roosevelt]] (who was official Republican nominee in California), 441 votes for [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist]] [[Eugene V. Debs]] and 228 votes for [[Prohibition Party]] nominee [[Eugene W. Chafin]].</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|43,955|40,190|2,558|California}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|39,397|48,991|2,605|California}}  
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|28,725|37,317|4,747|California}}  
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|27,581|33,005|1,636|California}}  
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|28,704|34,031|1,316|California}}  
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|32,773|24,491|696|California}}  
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|26,102|22,726|1,590|California}}  
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|20,847|21,786|4,305|California}}  
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|17,981|20,133|11,170|California}}  
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|21,717|20,105|592|California}}  
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|24,997|17,012|468|California}}  
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|18,043|15,886|3,067|California}}  
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|14,842|16,637|729|California}}  
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|17,737|13,914|997|California}}  
{{PresRow|1968|Democratic|11,595|14,453|2,301|California}}  
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|8,814|19,431|24|California}}  
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|11,990|15,545|111|California}}  
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|11,430|13,366|56|California}}  
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|13,512|11,639|219|California}}  
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|7,721|9,959|444|California}}  
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|6,518|9,192|69|California}}  
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|6,101|10,501|182|California}}  
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|3,230|9,208|230|California}}  
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|2,920|7,202|612|California}}  
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|4,644|2,970|104|California}}  
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|3,573|710|2,466|California}}  
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|3,457|1,537|494|California}}  
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|2,132|2,637|467|California}}  
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|10|1,978|2,240|California}}  
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|1,107|1,100|276|California}}  
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|972|863|146|California}}  
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|811|1,081|58|California}}  
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|653|1,117|32|California}}  
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|782|995|195|California}}
{{PresRow|1888|Democratic|773|972|51|California}}
{{PresRow|1884|Democratic|809|953|17|California}}
{{PresFoot|1880|Democratic|516|736|4|California}}

According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 20, 2008, there were 97,179 registered voters in Merced County.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} 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, California|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 California gubernatorial recall election|2021 gubernatorial recall election]] despite voting for Governor [[Gavin Newsom]] by a margin of 4% in [[2018 California gubernatorial election|2018]]. The county then voted for Republican nominee [[Brian Dahle]] in [[2022 California gubernatorial election|2022]] over Newsom, as well as for all Republican nominees for statewide office.

Merced County voted in favor of [[2008 California Proposition 8|Proposition 8]] in 2008 (which banned same-sex marriage by constitutional amendment) and voted against [[2024 California Proposition 3|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.

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! colspan="3" | Population and crime rates
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| colspan="2" | 253,606
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Violent crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11">Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. [http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof09/00/11.pdf Table 11: Crimes &ndash; 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222315/http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof09/00/11.pdf |date=December 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>
| 1,658 || 6.54
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Homicide<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 26 || 0.10
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Forcible rape<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 78 || 0.31
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Robbery<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 276 || 1.09
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Aggravated assault<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 1,278 || 5.04
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Property crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 4,390 || 17.31
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Burglary<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 2,318 || 9.14
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;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
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Motor vehicle theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 903 || 3.56
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Arson<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 90 || 0.35
|}

=== Cities by population and crime rates ===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"
|-
! cn="9" | Cities by population and crime rates
|-
! City
! data-sort-type="number" | Population<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8">United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. [https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/8tabledatadecpdf/table-8-state-cuts/table_8_offenses_known_to_law_enforcement_by_california_by_city_2012.xls Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California)]. Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Violent crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Violent crime rate<br />per 1,000 persons
! data-sort-type="number" | Property crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Property crime rate<br />per 1,000 persons
|-
| [[Atwater, California|Atwater]] || 28,891 || 180 || 6.23 || 1,400 || 48.46
|-
| [[Dos Palos, California|Dos Palos]] || 5,079 || 59 || 11.62 || 162 || 31.90
|-
| [[Gustine, California|Gustine]] || 5,663 || 24 || 4.24 || 120 || 21.19
|-
| [[Livingston, California|Livingston]] || 13,394 || 74 || 5.52 || 306 || 22.85
|-
| [[Los Banos, California|Los Banos]] || 36,897 || 142 || 3.85 || 1,210 || 32.79
|-
| [[Merced, California|Merced]] || 80,976 || 810 || 10.00 || 4,111 || 50.77
|}

==Economy==
According to America's Labor Market Information System 2014 report,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/majorer/countymajorer.asp?CountyCode=000047|title=Major Employers in California|website=www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov|access-date=March 16, 2018}}</ref> the companies with the largest employment in Merced are, in alphabetical order:
{{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 Company|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 	 
{{div col end}}

Merced County grows 90% of California's [[sweet potato]] crop,<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-marketnews-online-20121102-story.html "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===
*[[File:I-5 (CA).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 5 in California|Interstate 5]]
*[[File:California 33.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 33|State Route 33]]
*[[File:California 59.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 59|State Route 59]]
*[[File:California 99.svg|20px]] [[California State Route 99|State Route 99]]
*[[File:California 140.svg|25px]] [[California State Route 140|State Route 140]]
*[[File:California 152.svg|25px]] [[California State Route 152|State Route 152]]
*[[File:California 165.svg|25px]] [[California State Route 165|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 Lines|Greyhound]] buses and [[Amtrak]] trains provide long-distance intercity service.

===Airports===
[[Merced Regional Airport]], located {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} 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===
*[[Atwater, California|Atwater]]
*[[Dos Palos, California|Dos Palos]]
*[[Gustine, California|Gustine]]
*[[Livingston, California|Livingston]]
*[[Los Banos, California|Los Banos]]
*[[Merced, California|Merced]] (county seat)

===[[Census-designated place]]s===
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
*[[Ballico, California|Ballico]]
*[[Bear Creek, Merced County, California|Bear Creek]]
*[[Cressey, California|Cressey]]
*[[Delhi, California|Delhi]]
*[[Dos Palos Y, California|Dos Palos Y]]
*[[El Nido, Merced County, California|El Nido]]
*[[Franklin, Merced County, California|Franklin]]
*[[Hilmar-Irwin, California|Hilmar-Irwin]]
*[[Le Grand, California|Le Grand]]
*[[McSwain, California|McSwain]]
*[[Planada, California|Planada]]
*[[Santa Nella, California|Santa Nella]]
*[[Snelling, California|Snelling]]
*[[South Dos Palos, California|South Dos Palos]]
*[[Stevinson, California|Stevinson]]
*[[Tuttle, California|Tuttle]]
*[[University of California-Merced, California (CDP)|University of California Merced]]
*[[Volta, California|Volta]]
*[[Winton, California|Winton]]
{{div col end}}

===Population ranking===

The population ranking of the following table is based on the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] of Merced County.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2020.html |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |title=2020 U.S. Census website |access-date=November 4, 2025 }}</ref>

'''†''' ''county seat''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Rank
!City/Town/etc.
!Municipal type
!Population (2020 census)

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 1
|'''†''' '''[[Merced, California|Merced]]''' 
| City
| 86,333
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 2
|'''[[Los Banos, California|Los Banos]]''' 
| City
| 45,532
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 3
|'''[[Atwater, California|Atwater]]''' 
| City
| 31,970
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 4
|'''[[Livingston, California|Livingston]]''' 
| City
| 14,172
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 5
|'''[[Winton, California|Winton]]''' 
| CDP
| 11,709
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 6
|'''[[Delhi, California|Delhi]]''' 
| CDP
| 10,656
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 7
|'''[[Franklin, Merced County, California|Franklin-Beachwood]]''' 
| CDP
| 6,919
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 8
|'''[[Gustine, California|Gustine]]''' 
| City
| 6,110
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 9
|'''[[Dos Palos, California|Dos Palos]]''' 
| City
| 5,798
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 10
|'''[[Hilmar-Irwin, California|Hilmar-Irwin]]''' 
| CDP
| 5,164
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 11
|'''[[McSwain, California|McSwain]]''' 
| CDP
| 4,480
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 12
|'''[[Planada, California|Planada]]''' 
| CDP
| 4,164
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 13
|'''[[Santa Nella, California|Santa Nella]]''' 
| CDP
| 2,211
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 14
|'''[[South Dos Palos, California|South Dos Palos]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,747
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 15
|'''[[Le Grand, California|Le Grand]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,592
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 16-T
|'''[[Cressey, California|Cressey]]''' 
| CDP
| 366
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 16-T
|'''[[Volta, California|Volta]]''' 
| CDP
| 366
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 18
|'''[[Ballico, California|Ballico]]''' 
| CDP
| 347
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 19
|'''[[El Nido, Merced County, California|El Nido]]''' 
| CDP
| 331
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 20
|'''[[Dos Palos Y, California|Dos Palos Y]]''' 
| CDP
| 310
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 21
|'''[[Stevinson, California|Stevinson]]''' 
| CDP
| 275
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 22
|'''[[Bear Creek, Merced County, California|Bear Creek]]''' 
| CDP
| 273
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 23
|'''[[Snelling, California|Snelling]]''' 
| CDP
| 238
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 24
|'''[[Tuttle, California|Tuttle]]''' 
| CDP
| 102
|}

==Education==
School districts include:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06047_merced/DC20SD_C06047.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Merced County, CA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=July 24, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06047_merced/DC20SD_C06047_SD2MS.txt text list]</ref>

K-12:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[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]]
{{div col end}}

Secondary:
* [[Le Grand Union High School District]]
* [[Merced Union High School District]]

Elementary:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[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]]
{{div col end}}

[[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, California|Atwater]].

==See also==
{{Portal|California}}
* [[List of California Historical Landmarks#Merced County|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 ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

==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==
{{commons category|Merced County, California}}
*{{Official website}}

{{Geographic Location
| Centre    = Merced County, California
| North     = [[Stanislaus County, California|Stanislaus County]]
| Northeast = [[Tuolumne County, California|Tuolumne County]]
| East      = [[Mariposa County, California|Mariposa County]]
| Southeast = [[Madera County, California|Madera County]]
| South     = [[Fresno County, California|Fresno County]]
| Southwest = [[San Benito County, California|San Benito County]]
| West      = [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara County]]
| Northwest =
}}
{{Merced County, California}}
{{San Joaquin Valley}}
{{California}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Merced County, California| ]]
[[Category:California counties]]
[[Category:San Joaquin Valley]]
[[Category:1855 establishments in California]]