Editing Merced, California (section)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 1446
|1890= 2009
|1900= 1969
|1910= 3102
|1920= 3974
|1930= 7066
|1940= 10135
|1950= 15278
|1960= 20068
|1970= 22670
|1980= 36423
|1990= 56216
|2000= 63893
|2010= 78958
|2020= 86333
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Merced city, California – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''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 may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Merced city, California |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US0646898&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Merced city, California |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0646898&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Merced city, California |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0646898&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|24,121
|23,702
|style='background: #ffffe6; |20,386
|37.75%
|30.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |23.61%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|3,864
|4,483
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,191
|6.05%
|5.68%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.85%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|368
|399
|style='background: #ffffe6; |393
|0.58%
|0.51%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.46%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|7,182
|9,116
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,234
|11.24%
|11.55%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10.70%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|77
|131
|style='background: #ffffe6; |158
|0.12%
|0.17%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.18%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other Race]] alone (NH)
|124
|129
|style='background: #ffffe6; |444
|0.19%
|0.16%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.51%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|1,732
|1,858
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,910
|2.71%
|2.35%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.37%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|26,425
|39,140
|style='background: #ffffe6; |48,617
|41.36%
|49.57%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |56.32%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''63,893'''
|'''78,958'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''86,333'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

The Decennial Census of Population and Housing reported that the population in 2021 was  89,308.<ref name="Census 2020"/> In 2021, the average income of an individual was $21,518, and for a household $49,973.<ref>{{Cite web|title=American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2009-2019)|url=https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html|access-date=January 20, 2022|website=Census.gov}}</ref>

===2010===
The [[2010 United States Census]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0646898|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715040035/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0646898|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Merced city|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref> reported that Merced had a population of 78,959. The [[population density]] was 3,386.4 people per square mile. (1,307.5/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of Merced was 41,177 (52.2%) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 4,958 (6.3%) [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1,153 (1.5%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 9,342 (11.8%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 174 (0.2%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 17,804 (22.5%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 4,350 (5.5%) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 39,140 persons (49.6%).

The Census reported that 77,878 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 492 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 588 (0.7%) were institutionalized.

There were 24,899 households, out of which 11,484 (46.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,958 (44.0%) were [[marriage|opposite-sex married couples]] living together, 4,921 (19.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,941 (7.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,156 (8.7%) [[POSSLQ|unmarried opposite-sex partnerships]], and 167 (0.7%) [[same-sex partnerships|same-sex married couples or partnerships]]. 5,356 households (21.5%) were made up of individuals, and 1,823 (7.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13. There were 17,820 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (71.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.65.

The population was spread out, with 25,091 people (31.8%) under the age of 18, 10,475 people (13.3%) aged 18 to 24, 20,986 people (26.6%) aged 25 to 44, 15,484 people (19.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,922 people (8.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

There were 27,446 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,177.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}, of which 10,637 (42.7%) were owner-occupied, and 14,262 (57.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%. 31,690 people (40.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 46,188 people (58.5%) lived in rental housing units.

===2000===
[[File:Merced Assembly Center.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Monument commemorating the site of the [[Merced Assembly Center]]]]
As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000,<ref name="quickfacts.census.gov">{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0646898.html |title=Merced (City) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau |access-date=August 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712180928/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0646898.html |archive-date=July 12, 2012 }}</ref> there were 63,893 people, 20,435 households, and 14,631 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|3,216.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 21,532 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,084.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 57.4% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 6.3% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 12.4% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]] (mostly Hmong), 0.2% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 23.2% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 5.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 26.4% of the population.

There were 20,435 households, out of which 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% contained married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were "nonfamilies". 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.62.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 34.7% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,429, and the median income for a family was $32,470. Males had a median income of $31,725 versus $24,492 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,115. About 22.4% of families and 27.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

===Hmong community===
{{main|History of the Hmong in Merced, California}}
Escaping persecution from Communist forces after the [[Laotian Civil War]], [[Hmong people|Hmong]] refugees from [[Laos]] moved to the United States in the 1970s and '80s, first settling in Merced and other areas in the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley of California]].<ref name="WarnerMochel1998">{{citation
|last1=Warner
|first1=Miriam E
|last2=Mochel
|first2=Marilyn
|year=1998
|title=The Hmong and Health Care in Merced, California
|url=http://www.hmongstudies.com/HSJ-v2n2_Warner.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050523170851/http://hmongstudies.com/HSJ-v2n2_Warner.pdf |archive-date=May 23, 2005 |url-status=live
|journal=[[Hmong Studies Journal]]
|volume=2
|issue=2
|pages=30
|access-date=November 28, 2010
}}</ref><ref name="Reiterseeking">Reiter, Carol. "{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716063605/http://shrdo.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=149 Hmong seeking life in Merced, Ca]}}." ''[[Merced Sun-Star]]'' at ''Suab Hmong Radio''. January 29, 2008. Retrieved on September 20, 2010.</ref> The Hmong could not initially take part in farming like they had expected, as the land was owned by other people.<ref name="Reiterseeking"/> They could not get high end agricultural jobs because they did not speak sufficient English and [[Mexican people|Mexican]] migrants already held low end agricultural jobs. As such, a great many of Merced's Hmong collected social services and Hmong [[Gangs in the United States|gangs]] arose, prompting other residents to perceive them as being the cause of economic troubles.<ref name="Fadiman1997">{{citation
|last=Fadiman
|first=Anne
|author-link=Anne Fadiman
|year=1997
|title=The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
|publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux
|title-link=The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
}}</ref> As the Hmong settlement matured and the Hmong children gained English language skills, the town's overall attitude began to be more accepting of the Hmong community.<ref name="Reiterseeking"/>

This acceptance is reflected in various services provided to the Hmong community. This includes the Merced Lao Family Community Inc., a [[nonprofit organization]] that provides social services to Hmong people,<ref name="Withers2004">{{citation
|last=Withers
|first=Andrea C. 
|year=2004
|title=Hmong Language and Cultural Maintenance in Merced, California
|url=http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/detail?accno=EJ724693
|journal=[[Bilingual Research Journal]]
|volume=28
|issue=3
|pages=299–318
|doi=10.1080/15235882.2004.10162624 
|s2cid=144971394 
}}</ref> the Merced Department of Public Health's MATCH (Multidisciplinary Approach to Cross-Cultural Health) program, intending to draw Hmong patients into the health care system,<ref name="WarnerMochel1998"/><ref>Anderson, Barbara. "[http://www.modbee.com/2009/10/19/898549/merceds-mercy-medical-opens-its.html Merced's Mercy Medical opens its door to Hmong shamans] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306013950/http://www.modbee.com/2009/10/19/898549/merceds-mercy-medical-opens-its.html |date=March 6, 2012 }}." ''[[The Modesto Bee]]''. Monday October 19, 2009. Retrieved on November 29, 2010.</ref> a body of Hmong-speaking faculty and paraprofessionals (including college classes on Hmong culture and language),<ref name="Withers2004"/><ref>"[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=FB&p_theme=fb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE8192CD20E3F0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM MERCED COLLEGE OFFERING HMONG LANGUAGE COURSE]." ''[[Fresno Bee]]''. December 10, 1987. Retrieved on November 29, 2010.</ref> and media outlets for the Hmong community—cable television channel Channel 11 broadcasts programming to the Hmong community twice per week and radio station [[KBIF]] 900 AM airs programming oriented towards Hmong people.<ref name="Withers2004"/>

While Merced has historically had a proportionally large portion of Hmong (in 1997, 12,000 of Merced's 61,000 residents were Hmong<ref name="Fadiman1997"/>), demographic shifts have reduced this. The [[Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act]] of 1996 prompted a move of some Hmong to [[Minnesota]], [[North Carolina]], and [[Wisconsin]]. More recently, many Hmong have gone to Alaska to work in crabbing and fishing industries that require little proficiency in English.<ref name="Reiterseeking"/>

===Black community===
Through the years, Merced County has recognized many historic milestones. Some of those essential moments include the rise of Merced's first Black mayor, Sam Pipes in 1983 and the visit by first lady [[Michelle Obama]] to UC Merced for the university's 2009 commencement.

There's also the story of the late [[Charles Ogletree]], a Merced native who rose from poverty to become a respected Harvard Law professor. Ogletree taught both [[Barack]] and [[Michelle Obama]] at Harvard; he remained close to [[Barack Obama]] throughout his apolitical career.[13]
Ogletree wrote opinion pieces on the state of race in the United States for major publications.[14] Ogletree also served as the moderator for a panel discussion on civil rights in baseball on March 28, 2008, that accompanied the second annual Major League Baseball civil rights exhibition game the following day between the New York Mets and the Chicago White Sox.[15]

===Racial demographics===
In 2010, [[Latinos]] became a majority population in Merced and [[Merced County]] as the agricultural industry brought in migrant farm laborers. The area's affordable housing prices attracted both Latino and [[Asia]]n immigrants. Merced has large [[Asian-American]] (e.g. Hmong, followed by [[Chinese people|Chinese]], [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]], [[Lao people|Laotian]], [[Khmer people|Cambodian]], [[Filipino people|Filipino]], [[Thai people|Thai]], Korean<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://stat.pcanet.org/ac/directory/directory.cfm|title = Korean Presbyterian church in Merced}}</ref> and [[Asian Indian]]) populations relative to the city and county's population size.

In Merced County, Black history goes back to before the Civil War. According to historian Sarah Lim, during the mid-1800s Blacks came to this region and California as enslaved persons, while others arrived as free settlers. The 2011 census reported that 9,837 Black or [[African Americans]] lived in Merced County

<ref name="quickfacts.census.gov"/>

===Crime===
In 2021, Merced had approximately 4,000 violent crimes occur within the city. This means that with a population of just 89,303 people, in 2021, individuals had approximately a 4.5% chance of falling victim to a crime while living-in or visiting Merced.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2022 |title=Merced City, California |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/mercedcitycalifornia |website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> Of the crimes that occurred, roughly 1,200 were physical (such as assault, rape or homicide) and 2,500 were property-related (e.g. burglary and theft). However, these crimes occurring in 2021 resulted in 13 fatalities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2022 |title=Statistics |url=https://www.cityofmerced.org/departments/police/statistics |website=City of Merced California}}</ref> With its high crime rate, Merced is considered one of the "50 most dangerous" Californian cities to live in.[[File:Civic Center - Merced, California 1.jpg|thumb|right|Civic Center in Merced]]