Merced County Population

1860–2026

297.71K

2026 projection

5.2% since 2020 (increase)

050K100K150K200K250K300K186018801900192019401960198020002020

Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts and annual estimates. 2026 is a projection. Values between recorded years are interpolated.

Use the left and right arrow keys to inspect population observations.

Population by year

Population estimates for Merced County. Annual change is shown as a percentage. Growth is the total change since the preceding observation.
2026297,713+4530.15%
2025297,260+4530.15%
2024296,807+2,4880.85%
2023294,319+2,5380.87%
2022291,781+3,9271.36%
2021287,854+4,9591.75%
2020282,895+5,7812.09%
2019277,114+3,3811.24%
2018273,733+2,8961.07%
2017270,837+3,4671.30%

Showing 10 of 31 years.

Merced County Demographics

31.8median age

Median age

Female32.5 yrs
Male31.1 yrs

Adults

206,871
34,001 seniors (65+) · 16% of adults172,870 other adults

Sex

Female 49.3% · 142,969Male 50.7% · 147,232

Population by age

MaleFemale85+ years, male: 1,26685+ years, female: 2,42580–84 years, male: 1,95380–84 years, female: 1,87775–79 years, male: 2,66075–79 years, female: 3,27970–74 years, male: 4,12070–74 years, female: 4,79465–69 years, male: 5,79765–69 years, female: 5,83060–64 years, male: 7,02660–64 years, female: 6,36255–59 years, male: 7,51355–59 years, female: 8,02050–54 years, male: 7,70950–54 years, female: 7,67645–49 years, male: 8,06945–49 years, female: 8,08740–44 years, male: 8,87740–44 years, female: 8,61435–39 years, male: 10,52835–39 years, female: 9,57830–34 years, male: 11,04730–34 years, female: 10,16825–29 years, male: 10,84925–29 years, female: 10,00320–24 years, male: 11,03720–24 years, female: 10,50515–19 years, male: 13,63115–19 years, female: 12,71310–14 years, male: 12,91210–14 years, female: 11,8875–9 years, male: 11,6935–9 years, female: 11,3010–4 years, male: 10,5450–4 years, female: 9,85085+80–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–45K5K10K10K

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates · Table S0101

Race and ethnicity

Tap a square or a group below to highlight it.

Each square is about 1% of residents (roughly 2,902 people).

Hispanic or Latino residents can be of any race. All other groups exclude Hispanic residents.

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates · Table B03002

Merced County Income

$65,510median household income

Median household income

$65,510

Half of households earn more, half earn less

Median earnings

$42,804

Typical yearly pay for a worker 25 or older.

Poverty rate

19.1%

About 1 in 5 residents

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates · Tables S1901, S1501, S1701

Merced County Marital Status

42% of residents age 15 and older are married.

MarriedNever married
Overall
Male
Female
Marital status of residents age 15 and older
StatusOverallMaleFemale
Married42%43%41%
Never married43%46%39%
Divorced8%6%9%
Widowed5%3%8%
Separated2%2%2%

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates · Table S1201

Sources

8 sources, all from the U.S. Census Bureau

Population

American Community Survey, 2024 5-year