Merced, California Population 2024

95,958

Merced Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Merced was:

  • White: 38.13%
  • Other race: 35.7%
  • Two or more races: 10.26%
  • Asian: 10.18%
  • Black or African American: 4.52%
  • Native American: 0.85%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.35%
Land Area (mi²)
23.3 sq mi
Density (mi²)
4,126.50/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
10.43% (9,065)
The current population of Merced, California is 95,958 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 86,893.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White33,43938.13%
Other race31,30735.7%
Two or more races8,99710.26%
Asian8,92310.18%
Black or African American3,9674.52%
Native American7490.85%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander3040.35%

White

Other race

Two or more races

Asian

Black or African American

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Merced Population by Race

Merced Population Pyramid 2024

Merced Median Age

29.9

Total

29

Male

31

Female

Merced Adults

There are 62,050 adults, (8,933 of whom are seniors) in Merced.

Merced Age Dependency

65.1

Age Dependency Ratio

16.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

48.3

Child Dependency Ratio

Merced Sex Ratio

Female44,20550.41%
Male43,48149.59%

Merced Population by Age

Merced Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All27,0843.1943.356.7
Married11,0773.8761.838.2
Non Family7,6781.3933.666.4
Female5,7704.0820.679.4
Male2,5593.684357

3.67

Average Family Size

3.19

Average Household Size

43.3%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Merced Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade5,44410.72%
Associates Degree5,10210.04%
Bachelors Degree5,49910.83%
Graduate Degree3,0636.03%
High School Graduate13,00625.6%
Less Than 9th Grade6,41312.63%
Some College12,26824.15%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Merced Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Merced Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
Hispanic27,05717,8902,639
Other Race16,2019,6831,291
White14,97213,8203,753
2+ Races4,9244,084874
Asian4,8163,8081,471
Black2,1841,848360
Native American51236633
Islander22421311

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 95.09%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 30.54%.

Merced Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$59,844$58,900$62,609
Graduate Degree$82,035$112,869$69,787
High School Graduate$35,832$39,651$31,776
Less Than 9th Grade$29,849$33,615$19,052
Overall$38,370$43,046$32,843
Some College$39,212$47,044$30,075

$38,370

Average Earnings

$43,046

Average Male

$32,843

Average Female

Merced Earnings by Educational Attainment

Merced Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Merced Language

51.73% of Merced residents speak only English, while 48.27% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 39.06% of the population.

Merced Language

Merced Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Hispanic51,21814,05427.44%
Other30,8368,77928.47%
White20,0243,55817.77%
Multiple8,8782,04823.07%
Asian8,9202,03522.81%
Black3,9061,74744.73%
Native7399212.45%

25.19%

Overall Poverty Rate

21.92%

Male Poverty Rate

28.38%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Merced

The race most likely to be in poverty in Merced is Black, with 44.73% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Merced is Native, with 12.45% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.29%. Among those working part-time, it was 23.39%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 36.5%.

Merced Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade26.27%
High School21.15%
Some College15.9%
Bachelors or Greater6.4%

Merced Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed29.49%
Male Unemployed28.52%
Female Employed12.95%
Male Employed9.36%

Merced Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Merced Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$65,348$82,973
Households$59,233$78,097
Married Families$83,969$106,937
Non Families$37,295$51,999

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Merced Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

38.0%

Overall Marriage Rate

40.2%

Male Marriage Rate

35.9%

Female Marriage Rate

Merced Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Merced Marriage

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.

Merced Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Merced Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

2,690

Number of Veterans

2,414

Male Veterans

276

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam994
Second Gulf War614
First Gulf War439
Korea161
World War II16

Merced Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
65 to 74729
55 to 64700
75+570
35 to 54452
18 to 34239

Merced Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White1,8957.43%
Hispanic7062.06%
2+ Races2734.84%
Other Race2371.13%
Black2037.38%
Asian420.68%
Native American406.75%

Merced Veterans by Race

Merced Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

9.99%

Veteran Poverty Rate

32.95%

Veteran Disability Rate

Merced Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

60.9%

Labor Force Participation

53.2%

Employment Rate

12.6%

Unemployment Rate

Merced Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Merced Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Merced Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

68.08%

Born in Merced

76.82%

Native Born

23.18%

Foreign Born

13.07%

Non Citizen

10.11%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

76.82% of Merced residents were born in the United States, with 68.08% having been born in California. 13.07% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Merced Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
2029107,2892,2662.16%
2028105,0232,2662.21%
2027102,7572,2672.26%
2026100,4902,2662.31%
202598,2242,2662.36%
202495,9582,2662.42%
202393,6921,6041.74%
202292,0882,1342.37%
202189,9543,0613.52%
202086,8932,2152.62%
201984,6781,4581.75%
201883,2207530.91%
201782,4676010.73%
201681,8663600.44%
201581,5065730.71%
201480,9334720.59%
201380,4614260.53%
201280,0354300.54%
201179,6055080.64%
201079,09700%
200063,8937,67713.66%
199056,21619,71754.02%
198036,49913,82961%
197022,6702,60212.97%
196020,0684,79031.35%
195015,2785,14350.74%
194010,1353,06943.43%
19307,0663,09277.81%
19203,97487228.11%
19103,1021,13357.54%
19001,969-40-1.99%
18902,00956338.93%
18801,446-105,843-98.65%

Merced Population by Year