Merced County ( ), is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the northern

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven ...

section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 281,202. The county seat is

Merced Merced (; Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333, up from 78,958 in 2010. Incorporated on Apri ...

. The county is named after the

Merced River The Merced River (), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and steep course through ...

. Merced County comprises the Merced, CA

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

, which is included in the

Modesto Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton ...

-Merced, CA

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

. It is located north of Fresno County and Fresno, and southeast of

Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County together ...

and San Jose.

History

The county derives its name from the

, 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 El Camino Viejo a Los Ángeles ( en, the Old Road to Los Angeles), also known as El Camino Viejo and the Old Los Angeles Trail, was the oldest north-south trail in the interior of Spanish colonial Las Californias (1769–1822) and Mexican Alta Cali ...

across the San Joaquin Valley in Spanish colonial

Las Californias The Californias (Spanish: ''Las Californias''), occasionally known as The Three Californias or Two Californias, are a region of North America spanning the United States and Mexico, consisting of the U.S. state of California and the Mexica ...

Province. Between 1841 and 1844, during the period when

Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...

was a territory of independent Mexico, four Mexican land grants were made in what became Merced County:

Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas (Meetingplace and the Herons) was a Mexican land grant in present-day Stanislaus County and Merced County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Sebastián Núñez. The grant was originally i ...

, Rancho Panoche de San Juan y Los Carrisolitos, Rancho San Luis Gonzaga, and

Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita was a Mexican land grant mostly in present-day Merced County, California and also a small part in Fresno County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Francisco Maria Soberanes. Sanjon is Spanish for d ...

Merced County was formed in 1855 from parts of Mariposa County. Parts of its territory were given to Fresno County in 1856.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.2%) is water.

National protected areas

* Merced National Wildlife Refuge *

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in the San Joaquin Valley of central California is one of the great remnants of a historically bountiful wintering grounds for migratory waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway. Located in the Bear Creek, Salt Sloug ...

Demographics

2020 census

''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 can be of any race.''

2011

Places by population, race, and income

2010 Census

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

reported that Merced County had a population of 255,793. The racial makeup of Merced County was 148,381 (58.0%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 9,926 (3.9%)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 3,473 (1.4%) Native American, 18,836 (7.4%) Asian, 583 (0.2%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 62,665 (24.5%) from other races, and 11,929 (4.7%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 140,485 persons (54.9%).

2000

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 210,554 people, 63,815 households, and 49,775 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 109 people per square mile (42/km²). There were 68,373 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 56.2%

, 3.8%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

, 1.2% Native American, 6.8% Asian, 0.2%

, 26.1% from other races, and 5.7% from two or more races. 45.3% of the population were

or Latino of any race. 6.6% were of Portuguese and 6.0%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

ancestry according to

Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

. 55.1% spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, 35.3% Spanish, 3.2% Hmong, 2.9% Portuguese and 1.0%

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

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

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $14,257. About 16.9% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, 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 lived in Merced County.

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.

Merced County Sheriff

The Merced County Sheriff 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.

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 The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, Merced County is in . In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legislatu ...

, Merced County is in , and .

Politics

Voter registration statistics

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

Merced County voted for the winning candidate for president in every election from 1972 to 2012, before voting for

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

in 2016. Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

won a majority in the county in both

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

. Republican George W. Bush won a majority in the county in both

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

. According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 20, 2008, there were 97,179 registered voters in Merced County. 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 and the unincorporated areas of Merced County 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 been somewhat of a bellwether county for presidential elections. Since 1916, it has voted for the winner in each election except in 1956, 1968, and 2016. Despite a leftward shift in recent years, Merced County voted "Yes" in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election despite the fact that it had voted for Newsom by a margin of 4% in the 2018 California gubernatorial election.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates

Economy

According to America's Labor Market Information System 2014 report, the companies with the largest employment in Merced are, in alphabetical order: *Anberry Rehabilitation Hospital *Atwater Elementary Teachers *Bianchi & Sons Packing Co (produce) * E & J Gallo Winery *

Foster Farms Foster Farms is an American poultry company. The company has been privately owned since 1939. It was operated by the Foster family since 1939 until recently, now operated and owned by Atlas Holdings, after their purchase of the company in 2022. ...

*Golden Valley Health Center *

Hilmar Cheese Company Hilmar Cheese Company is a cheese and whey products manufacturer headquartered in Hilmar, California, United States. The privately owned company has over 1000 employees and specializes in the mass production of Monterey jack, pepper jack, colby ...

*J. Marchini & Son (farming) *Liberty Packing Co *Live Oak Farms (produce) *Livingston District Office (education) *Malibu Boats West Inc * McLane Pacific (wholesale food services) *Merced County Human Services * Mercy Medical Center Merced *

Pacific Gas and Electric Company The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is an American investor-owned utility (IOU). The company is headquartered in the Pacific Gas & Electric Building, in San Francisco, California. PG&E provides natural gas and electricity to 5.2 millio ...

Quad/Graphics Quad (formerly Quad/Graphics) is an American commercial printing company which offers marketing strategy and management services, based in Sussex, Wisconsin. It was founded as a printing company on July 13, 1971, by Harry V. Quadracci. Since 20 ...

(printing) *Sensient Dehydrated Flavors *

University of California, Merced The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) is a public land-grant research university and Hispanic-serving institution located in Merced, California, and is the tenth and newest of the University of California (UC) campuses. Establish ...

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

*Werner Co (ladders) *Western Marketing & Sales (farming) *Yosemite Wholesale Warehouse Merced County grows 90% of California's

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato ('' Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young ...

crop, due in part to the efforts of John Buttencourt Avila, called "the father of the sweet potato industry".

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...

State Route 33 * California 59

State Route 59 * California 99

State Route 99 * California 140

State Route 140 * California 152

State Route 152 * California 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

, operates its own transit system, Cat Tracks. This system connects with Merced County Transit. *

Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System, also known as YARTS, is a public transit bus line based in Merced, California. YARTS provides scheduled service into popular locations within Merced, Mariposa, Mono, Tuolumne, Madera, and Fre ...

, or YARTS, connects Merced with

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ...

. *

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...

buses and

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

trains provide long-distance intercity service.

Airports

Merced Regional Airport Merced Regional Airport (MacReady Field) is located southwest of Merced, in Merced County, California. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025 categorized it as a ''Commercial Service – Nonprimary'' airport. Commerci ...

, located two miles (3 km) southwest of downtown Merced, provides passenger air service. General aviation airports in the county include

Castle Airport Castle Airport is a public airport in unincorporated Merced County, California, northwest of Merced. The airport is operated by the Merced County Department of Commerce, Aviation, and Economic Development. It is owned jointly by the city of Me ...

Gustine Airport Gustine Airport is a public airport located two miles (3.2 km) east of Gustine, serving Merced County, California, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation. Facilities and aircraft Gustine Airport covers an area of which ...

, and

Los Banos Municipal Airport Los Banos Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located one mile (1.6 km) west of the central business district of Los Banos, a city in Merced County, California, United States. Facilities and aircraft Los Banos Municipa ...

Communities

Cities

* Atwater * Dos Palos * Gustine *

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American customs ...

* Los Banos *

(county seat)

Census-designated places A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

* Ballico * Bear Creek * Cressey *

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

* Dos Palos Y * El Nido * Franklin * Hilmar-Irwin * Le Grand * McSwain * Planada * Santa Nella * Snelling * South Dos Palos * Stevinson * Tuttle *

University of California Merced The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) is a public land-grant research university and Hispanic-serving institution located in Merced, California, and is the tenth and newest of the University of California (UC) campuses. Establ ...

* Volta * Winton

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Merced County. † ''county seat''

Education

School districts include:
text list
/ref> K-12: * Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District * Delhi Unified School District *

Gustine Unified School District Gustine may refer to: * Gustine, California, a city in Merced County ** Gustine Airport ** Gustine High School * Gustine, Texas, a town in Comanche County ** Gustine High School (Texas) ** Gustine Independent School District Gustine Independent ...

Hilmar Unified School District Hilmar is an Germanic and Nordic given name, meaning famous/notorious fighter/noble/protector. Hilmar may refer to: Places *Hilmar, California **Hilmar Cheese Company, cheese and whey products manufacturer headquartered in Hilmar, California * Hi ...

Los Banos Unified School District Los Banos Unified School District is a public school district based in Merced County, California, United States. References External links * School districts in Merced County, California {{California-school-stub ...

Turlock Unified School District Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. Its estimated 2019 population of 73,631 made it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County after Modesto. History Founded on December 22, 1871, by prominent grain farmer J ...

Secondary: * Le Grand Union High School District *

Merced Union High School District The Merced Union High School District (MUHSD) is a school district headquartered in the Castle Commerce Center on the grounds of the Castle Airport Aviation and Development Center in unincorporated Merced County, California, near Atwater. The u ...

Elementary: * Atwater Elementary School District * Ballico-Cressey Elementary School District * El Nido Elementary School District * Le Grand Union Elementary School District *

Livingston Union School District Livingston Union School District is a public school district based in Merced County, California, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country prim ...

McSwain Union Elementary School District McSwain may refer to: * John J. McSwain (1875–1936), U.S. Representative * Rod McSwain (born 1962), American football player * McSwain, California, United States, a census-designated place {{disambig, surname ...

* Merced City Elementary School District * Merced River Union Elementary School District *

Plainsburg Union Elementary School District Plainsburg Union Elementary School District is a public school district based in Merced County, California, United States. References External links * School districts in Merced County, California {{California-school-stub ...

Planada Elementary School District Planada (Spanish for " Plain") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Merced County, California, United States. Planada is east of Merced, the county seat, at an elevation of . The population was 4,164 at the 2020 census, down from 4,584 at th ...

* Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary School District * Weaver Union Elementary School District *

Winton School District Winton may refer to: Places Australia *Winton, Queensland, a town *Shire of Winton, Queensland *Winton, Victoria, a town *Winton Motor Raceway in Winton, Victoria New Zealand *Winton, New Zealand, a town in Southland United Kingdom *Winton, an ar ...

is in the county.

Places of interest

The former Castle Air Force Base and the

United States Penitentiary, Atwater The United States Penitentiary, Atwater (USP Atwater) is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated Merced County, California. The institution also includes a minimum-security satellite camp. It is operated by ...

are located in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...

near Atwater.

Notes

References

External links

* {{authority control California counties San Joaquin Valley 1855 establishments in California