State
Land Area
23.2 sq mi
Density
3,615.0/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
0.39%
Growth Since 2010
6.34%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
281,615
Merced is a city located in California. With a 2020 population of 83,964, it is the 101st largest city in California and the 417th largest city in the United States. Merced is currently growing at a rate of 0.39% annually and its population has increased by 6.34% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 78,958 in 2010. Spanning over 23 miles, Merced has a population density of 3,615 people per square mile.
The average household income in Merced is $62,195 with a poverty rate of 29.75%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $954 per month, and the median house value is $212,100. The median age in Merced is 29.6 years, 27.7 years for males, and 31.2 years for females. For every 100 females there are 97.8 males.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Merced was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
| Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 281,615 | 3,425 | 1.22% |
| 2019 | 278,190 | 3,425 | 1.23% |
| 2018 | 274,765 | 3,425 | 1.25% |
| 2017 | 271,340 | 3,369 | 1.24% |
| 2016 | 267,971 | 1,320 | 0.49% |
| 2015 | 266,651 | 2,002 | 0.75% |
| 2014 | 264,649 | 2,451 | 0.93% |
| 2013 | 262,198 | 1,227 | 0.47% |
| 2012 | 260,971 | 1,638 | 0.63% |
| 2011 | 259,333 | 2,601 | 1.00% |
| 2010 | 256,732 | 0.00% |
| Race | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White | 46,771 | 56.84% |
| Some Other Race | 15,836 | 19.24% |
| Asian | 10,372 | 12.60% |
| Black or African American | 5,005 | 6.08% |
| Two or More Races | 3,517 | 4.27% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 717 | 0.87% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 71 | 0.09% |
| Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 25,827 | 3.14 | 40.6 |
| Married | 10,526 | 3.88 | 57.9 |
| Non Family | 7,759 | 1.57 | 32.5 |
| Female | 5,469 | 3.8 | 21.2 |
| Male | 2,073 | 3.55 | 33.8 |
| Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less Than 9th Grade | 7,043 | 15.04% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 5,041 | 10.76% |
| High School Graduate | 11,201 | 23.91% |
| Some College | 11,230 | 23.97% |
| Associates Degree | 4,033 | 8.61% |
| Bachelors Degree | 4,973 | 10.62% |
| Graduate Degree | 3,321 | 7.09% |
| Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 22,221 | 13,251 | 1,775 |
| White | 15,799 | 14,608 | 4,542 |
| Other Race | 8,116 | 3,969 | 492 |
| Asian | 5,291 | 3,668 | 1,421 |
| Black | 2,728 | 2,444 | 421 |
| Multiple Races | 1,428 | 1,300 | 264 |
| Native American | 463 | 266 | 31 |
| Islander | 60 | 60 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100.00%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 28.75%.
$31,581
Average Earnings
$35,415
Average Male
$27,400
Average Female
54.02% of Merced residents speak only English, while 45.98% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 34.68% of the population.
| Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 42,896 | 14,767 | 34.43% |
| Other | 15,656 | 6,086 | 38.87% |
| White | 21,894 | 4,213 | 19.24% |
| Asian | 10,366 | 2,954 | 28.50% |
| Black | 4,818 | 1,719 | 35.68% |
| Multiple | 3,377 | 1,518 | 44.95% |
| Native | 708 | 443 | 62.57% |
29.75%
Overall Poverty Rate
26.90%
Male Poverty Rate
32.52%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Merced is Native, with 62.57% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Merced is White, with 19.24% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 7.11%. Among those working part-time, it was 25.77%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 40.18%.
39.2%
Overall Marriage Rate
41.1%
Male Marriage Rate
37.5%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.
| Name | Veterans | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| White | 2,546 | 7.45% |
| Hispanic | 900 | 3.17% |
| Black | 304 | 8.29% |
| Other | 218 | 2.10% |
| Asian | 126 | 1.72% |
| 2 or More | 78 | 4.43% |
| Indian | 32 | 6.50% |
6.05%
Veteran Poverty Rate
38.33%
Veteran Disability Rate
57.1%
Labor Force Participation
49.3%
Employment Rate
13.7%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
77.76%
Native Born
22.24%
Foreign Born
12.63%
Non Citizen
9.61%
Naturalized
77.76% of Merced residents were born in the United States, with 65.50% having been born in California. 12.63% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
| Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 83,964 | 324 | 0.39% |
| 2019 | 83,640 | 324 | 0.39% |
| 2018 | 83,316 | 639 | 0.77% |
| 2017 | 82,677 | 324 | 0.39% |
| 2016 | 82,353 | 475 | 0.58% |
| 2015 | 81,878 | 680 | 0.84% |
| 2014 | 81,198 | 440 | 0.54% |
| 2013 | 80,758 | 493 | 0.61% |
| 2012 | 80,265 | 545 | 0.68% |
| 2011 | 79,720 | 586 | 0.74% |
| 2010 | 79,134 | 15,241 | 2.16% |
| 2000 | 63,893 | 7,677 | 1.29% |
| 1990 | 56,216 | 19,717 | 4.41% |
| 1980 | 36,499 | 13,829 | 4.88% |
| 1970 | 22,670 | 2,602 | 1.23% |
| 1960 | 20,068 | 4,790 | 2.76% |
| 1950 | 15,278 | 5,143 | 4.19% |
| 1940 | 10,135 | 3,069 | 3.67% |
| 1930 | 7,066 | 3,092 | 5.92% |
| 1920 | 3,974 | 872 | 2.51% |
| 1910 | 3,102 | 1,133 | 4.65% |
| 1900 | 1,969 | -40 | -0.20% |
| 1890 | 2,009 | 563 | 3.34% |
| 1880 | 1,446 | 0.00% |