State
County
Land Area (mi²)
23.2 sq mi
Density (mi²)
3,651.10/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
0.67%
Growth Since 2010
7.40%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
284,738
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 | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 284,738 | 3,529 | 1.24% |
| 2020 | 281,209 | 3,529 | 1.25% |
| 2019 | 277,680 | 3,529 | 1.27% |
| 2018 | 274,151 | 3,055 | 1.11% |
| 2017 | 271,096 | 3,468 | 1.28% |
| 2016 | 267,628 | 1,275 | 0.48% |
| 2015 | 266,353 | 1,934 | 0.73% |
| 2014 | 264,419 | 2,393 | 0.91% |
| 2013 | 262,026 | 1,159 | 0.44% |
| 2012 | 260,867 | 1,570 | 0.60% |
| 2011 | 259,297 | 2,576 | 0.99% |
| 2010 | 256,721 | 0.00% |
| Race | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White | 44,389 | 53.70% |
| Some Other Race | 19,612 | 23.73% |
| Asian | 9,714 | 11.75% |
| Black or African American | 4,468 | 5.41% |
| Two or More Races | 3,661 | 4.43% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 748 | 0.90% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 70 | 0.08% |
| Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 25,490 | 3.2 | 41.3 |
| Married | 10,368 | 3.99 | 59.2 |
| Non Family | 7,818 | 1.56 | 31.7 |
| Mujer | 5,206 | 3.89 | 22.1 |
| Masculino | 2,098 | 3.69 | 36.2 |
3.72
Average Family Size
3.2
Average Household Size
| Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less Than 9th Grade | 6,991 | 14.89% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 5,713 | 12.16% |
| High School Graduate | 11,103 | 23.64% |
| Some College | 11,380 | 24.23% |
| Associates Degree | 4,038 | 8.60% |
| Bachelors Degree | 4,537 | 9.66% |
| Graduate Degree | 3,202 | 6.82% |
| Race | Total | High School | Bachelors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 23,449 | 13,866 | 1,722 |
| White | 15,166 | 13,840 | 4,151 |
| Other Race | 9,973 | 4,844 | 468 |
| Asian | 4,881 | 3,446 | 1,311 |
| Black | 2,664 | 2,278 | 420 |
| 2+ Races | 1,517 | 1,405 | 316 |
| Native American | 537 | 362 | 38 |
| Islander | 58 | 58 |
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 27.37%.
$31,536
Average Earnings
$33,309
Average Male
$29,362
Average Female
52.63% of Merced residents speak only English, while 47.37% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 37.14% of the population.
| Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 45,120 | 14,678 | 32.53% |
| Other | 19,329 | 6,940 | 35.90% |
| White | 21,029 | 4,424 | 21.04% |
| Asian | 9,706 | 2,761 | 28.45% |
| Black | 4,322 | 1,489 | 34.45% |
| Multiple | 3,480 | 1,329 | 38.19% |
| Native | 736 | 334 | 45.38% |
29.31%
Overall Poverty Rate
26.71%
Male Poverty Rate
31.83%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Merced is Native, with 45.38% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Merced is White, with 21.04% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 7.04%. Among those working part-time, it was 26.80%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 39.13%.
38.7%
Overall Marriage Rate
40.6%
Male Marriage Rate
36.9%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
| Name | Veterans | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| White | 2,227 | 6.90% |
| Hispanic | 904 | 2.99% |
| Black | 233 | 6.65% |
| Other Race | 213 | 1.63% |
| Asian | 116 | 1.72% |
| Native American | 80 | 13.89% |
| 2+ Races | 74 | 3.90% |
6.17%
Veteran Poverty Rate
33.77%
Veteran Disability Rate
57.2%
Labor Force Participation
49.9%
Employment Rate
12.7%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
77.31%
Native Born
22.69%
Foreign Born
12.89%
Non Citizen
9.80%
Naturalized
77.31% of Merced residents were born in the United States, with 65.65% having been born in California. 12.89% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 84,802 | 563 | 0.67% |
| 2020 | 84,239 | 563 | 0.67% |
| 2019 | 83,676 | 563 | 0.68% |
| 2018 | 83,113 | 524 | 0.63% |
| 2017 | 82,589 | 357 | 0.43% |
| 2016 | 82,232 | 457 | 0.56% |
| 2015 | 81,775 | 655 | 0.81% |
| 2014 | 81,120 | 417 | 0.52% |
| 2013 | 80,703 | 472 | 0.59% |
| 2012 | 80,231 | 526 | 0.66% |
| 2011 | 79,705 | 574 | 0.73% |
| 2010 | 79,131 | 15,238 | 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% |