Merced County, California

Merced County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California.

As of the 2020 census, the population was 281,202.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Merced.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is named after the Merced River.

Merced County comprises the Merced, California Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Modesto-Merced, California Combined Statistical Area. It is located north of Fresno County and Fresno, and southeast of Santa Clara County and San Jose.

History

The county derives its name from the Merced River, 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 across the San Joaquin Valley in Spanish colonial Las Californias Province.

Between 1841 and 1844, during the period when Alta California was a territory of independent Mexico, four Mexican land grants were made in what became Merced County: Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas, Rancho Panoche de San Juan y Los Carrisolitos, Rancho San Luis Gonzaga, and Rancho Sanjon de Santa Rita

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 county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.2%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

National protected areas

• Merced National Wildlife Refuge
• San Luis National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

2020 census

Merced County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Template:Nobold

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	85,585	81,599	68,729	40.65%	31.90%	24.44%
Black or African American alone (NH)	7,594	8,785	8,191	3.61%	3.43%	2.91%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	1,115	1,126	1,164	0.53%	0.44%	0.41%
Asian alone (NH)	14,041	18,183	19,824	6.67%	7.11%	7.05%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	281	476	617	0.13%	0.19%	0.22%
Other Race alone (NH)	410	439	1,242	0.19%	0.17%	0.44%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH)	6,062	4,700	7,578	2.88%	1.84%	2.69%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	95,466	140,485	173,857	45.34%	54.92%	61.83%
Total	210,554	255,793	281,202	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>	253,606
White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	170,229	67.1%
Black or African American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	9,837	3.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	2,617	1.0%
Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	18,904	7.5%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	517	0.2%
Some other race<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	43,893	17.3%
Two or more races<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	7,609	3.0%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>	137,974	54.4%
Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	$18,304
Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	$43,945
Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	$48,429

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type<ref name="US-CB">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Other<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> <ref name="other" group=note>Other = Some other race + Two or more races</ref>	Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Black or African American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Native American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> <ref name="na" group=note>Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native</ref>	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003"/>
Atwater	City	27,922	66.0%	21.6%	7.0%	4.3%	1.1%	49.2%
Ballico	CDP	384	72.1%	24.7%	1.6%	0.0%	1.6%	49.2%
Bear Creek	CDP	188	44.7%	55.3%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	89.4%
Cressey	CDP	614	57.0%	42.3%	0.7%	0.0%	0.0%	63.7%
Delhi	CDP	9,892	59.0%	28.9%	7.1%	2.2%	2.8%	67.8%
Dos Palos	City	4,940	79.6%	18.1%	0.0%	2.0%	0.3%	66.5%
Dos Palos Y	CDP	207	77.3%	22.7%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	65.2%
El Nido	CDP	297	44.1%	55.9%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	72.4%
Franklin	CDP	5,766	71.4%	14.8%	6.6%	2.5%	4.7%	56.4%
Gustine	City	5,484	85.8%	13.2%	0.3%	0.0%	0.6%	56.1%
Hilmar-Irwin	CDP	5,224	95.1%	3.6%	1.0%	0.2%	0.0%	9.2%
Le Grand	CDP	1,893	51.8%	47.4%	0.0%	0.0%	0.8%	88.4%
Livingston	City	12,899	48.0%	32.8%	17.5%	0.9%	0.9%	71.5%
Los Banos	City	35,252	81.0%	11.3%	3.3%	3.9%	0.5%	67.4%
McSwain	CDP	4,041	82.8%	8.8%	6.7%	0.3%	1.4%	20.6%
Merced	City	78,111	56.1%	24.1%	11.4%	6.8%	1.7%	49.6%
Planada	CDP	4,366	52.3%	44.2%	1.2%	1.6%	0.8%	96.2%
Santa Nella	CDP	1,292	84.1%	12.0%	0.0%	3.9%	0.0%	70.4%
Snelling	CDP	97	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	3.1%
South Dos Palos	CDP	2,144	88.9%	10.0%	0.0%	1.1%	0.0%	94.1%
Stevinson	CDP	132	53.8%	46.2%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	46.2%
Tuttle	CDP	21	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
University of California, Merced	CDP	0	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Volta	CDP	126	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	55.6%
Winton	CDP	11,742	61.2%	28.4%	8.2%	1.6%	0.7%	74.5%

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Merced County had a population of 255,793. The racial makeup of Merced County was 148,381 (58.0%) White, 9,926 (3.9%) African American, 3,473 (1.4%) Native American, 18,836 (7.4%) Asian, 583 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 62,665 (24.5%) from other races, and 11,929 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 140,485 persons (54.9%).<ref>Template:USCensus2010CA</ref>

Population reported at 2010 United States census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Merced County	255,793	148,381	9,926	3,473	18,836	583	62,665	11,929	140,485
Incorporated city	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Atwater	28,168	18,410	1,225	364	1,416	76	5,300	1,377	14,808
Dos Palos	4,950	3,377	167	62	37	4	1,075	228	3,075
Gustine	5,520	3,875	73	54	95	8	1,191	224	2,769
Livingston	13,058	5,263	106	348	2,223	18	4,547	553	9,547
Los Banos	35,972	20,846	1,354	512	1,162	134	10,123	1,841	23,346
Merced	78,958	41,177	4,958	1,153	9,342	174	17,804	4,350	39,140
Census-designated place	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Ballico	406	237	2	3	11	2	128	23	210
Bear Creek	290	156	4	2	14	0	93	21	170
Cressey	394	253	1	3	15	1	95	26	195
Delhi	10,755	5,655	118	157	405	30	3,930	460	7,706
Dos Palos Y	323	225	1	8	1	0	82	6	197
El Nido	330	162	0	7	9	0	147	5	245
Franklin	6,149	3,455	273	77	931	12	1,072	329	3,250
Hilmar-Irwin	5,197	4,475	15	23	87	1	439	157	916
Le Grand	1,659	869	19	35	17	1	659	59	1,357
McSwain	4,171	3,196	56	34	282	9	422	172	1,081
Planada	4,584	1,681	22	23	46	1	2,725	86	4,347
Santa Nella	1,380	832	22	25	31	0	433	37	968
Snelling	231	206	0	3	6	0	13	3	33
South Dos Palos	1,620	809	135	21	36	10	552	57	1,262
Stevinson	313	228	4	0	0	0	73	8	133
Tuttle	103	77	6	0	6	0	9	5	31
University of California, Merced	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Volta	246	201	7	0	1	4	29	4	132
Winton	10,613	5,696	175	140	701	8	3,455	438	7,566
Other unincorporated areas	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	40,403	27,020	1,183	419	1,962	90	8,269	1,460	18,001

2000

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 210,554 people, 63,815 households, and 49,775 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 68,373 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 56.2% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American, 6.8% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 26.1% from other races, and 5.7% from two or more races. 45.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 6.6% were of Portuguese and 6.0% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 55.1% spoke English, 35.3% Spanish, 3.2% Hmong, 2.9% Portuguese and 1.0% Punjabi 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 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 for the county was $14,257. About 16.9% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the poverty line, 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.<ref>Oppenheim, Jamie. "Hmong youth not preserving traditions, professor says Template:Webarchive." Monday March 29, 2010. Retrieved on September 20, 2010.</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Merced County Sheriff's Office

File:Seal of the Merced County Sheriff's Office.png

The seal of the Merced County Sheriff's Office.

The Merced County Sheriff's Office 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.<ref>Template:CitationTemplate:Full citation needed</ref>

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, Merced County is in Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite GovTrack</ref>

In the California State Legislature, Merced County is in Template:Representative, and Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Politics

Voter registration statistics

Population and registered voters
Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	253,606
Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS">California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration Template:Webarchive. Retrieved October 31, 2013.</ref><ref name="PCT-RV" group=note>Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.</ref>	98,874	39.0%
Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/>	43,981	44.5%
Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/>	32,767	33.1%
Democratic–Republican spread<ref name="CA-SS"/>	+11,214	+11.4%
Independent<ref name="CA-SS"/>	3,016	3.1%
Green<ref name="CA-SS"/>	568	0.6%
Libertarian<ref name="CA-SS"/>	483	0.5%
Peace and Freedom<ref name="CA-SS"/>	318	0.3%
Americans Elect<ref name="CA-SS"/>	2	0.0%
Other<ref name="CA-SS"/>	180	0.2%
No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/>	17,559	17.8%

Cities by population and voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS"/> <ref name="PCT-RV" group=note/>	Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/>	Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/>	D–R spread<ref name="CA-SS"/>	Other<ref name="CA-SS"/>	No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/>
Atwater	27,922	41.0%	39.4%	37.4%	+2.0%	8.2%	18.3%
Dos Palos	4,940	38.0%	44.4%	35.0%	+9.4%	9.9%	14.9%
Gustine	5,484	38.3%	48.2%	30.3%	+17.9%	7.7%	17.0%
Livingston	12,899	34.6%	62.2%	15.9%	+46.3%	4.9%	18.9%
Los Banos	35,252	37.6%	50.1%	27.6%	+22.5%	7.8%	17.7%
Merced	78,111	41.0%	46.4%	30.2%	+16.2%	8.2%	18.3%

Overview

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 when it voted for Adlai Stevenson II instead of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1968 when it voted for Hubert Humphrey instead of Richard Nixon, and 2016 when it voted for Hillary Clinton instead of Donald Trump. In 2024, Donald Trump won the county in a slim victory, continuing the county's bellwether county status.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Trump's win in Merced county made it one of ten counties to flip from Biden to Trump, as well as making Merced one of six counties to vote for the Republican presidential candidate for the first time in 20 years since George W. Bush in 2004. Democrat Barack Obama won a majority in the county in both 2008 and 2012. Before that, Republican George W. Bush won a majority in the county in both 2000 and 2004.

According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 20, 2008, there were 97,179 registered voters in Merced County.Template:Citation needed 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 county's unincorporated areas 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 seen a rightward tilt in recent years, voting "Yes" in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election despite voting for Governor Gavin Newsom by a margin of 4% in 2018. The county then voted for Republican nominee Brian Dahle in 2022 over Newsom, as well as for all Republican nominees for statewide office.

Crime

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

Population and crime rates
Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	253,606
Violent crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11">Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 Template:Webarchive. Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>	1,658	6.54
Homicide<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	26	0.10
Forcible rape<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	78	0.31
Robbery<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	276	1.09
Aggravated assault<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	1,278	5.04
Property crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	4,390	17.31
Burglary<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	2,318	9.14
Larceny-theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/><ref name="LT-note group=note">Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.</ref>	5,089	20.07
Motor vehicle theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	903	3.56
Arson<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	90	0.35

Cities by population and crime rates

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8">United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>	Violent crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Atwater	28,891	180	6.23	1,400	48.46
Dos Palos	5,079	59	11.62	162	31.90
Gustine	5,663	24	4.24	120	21.19
Livingston	13,394	74	5.52	306	22.85
Los Banos	36,897	142	3.85	1,210	32.79
Merced	80,976	810	10.00	4,111	50.77

Economy

According to America's Labor Market Information System 2014 report,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the companies with the largest employment in Merced are, in alphabetical order: Template:Div col

• Anberry Rehabilitation Hospital
• Atwater Elementary Teachers
• Bianchi & Sons Packing Co (produce)
• E & J Gallo Winery
• Foster Farms
• Golden Valley Health Center
• Hilmar Cheese Company
• 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
• Quad/Graphics (printing)
• Sensient Dehydrated Flavors
• University of California, Merced
• Walmart
• Werner Co (ladders)
• Western Marketing & Sales (farming)
• Yosemite Wholesale Warehouse

Merced County grows 90% of California's sweet potato crop,<ref>"Farmers Markets: Stokes Purple is a sweet potato of mystery", Los Angeles Times, 2 November 2012</ref> due in part to the efforts of John Buttencourt Avila, called "the father of the sweet potato industry".

Transportation

Major highways

• File:I-5 (CA).svg Interstate 5
• File:California 33.svg State Route 33
• File:California 59.svg State Route 59
• File:California 99.svg State Route 99
• File:California 140.svg State Route 140
• File:California 152.svg State Route 152
• File:California 165.svg 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 University of California, Merced, operates its own transit system, Cat Tracks. This system connects with Merced County Transit.
• Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System, or YARTS, connects Merced with Yosemite National Park.
• Greyhound buses and Amtrak trains provide long-distance intercity service.

Airports

Merced Regional Airport, located Template:Convert southwest of downtown Merced, provides passenger air service. General aviation airports in the county include Castle Airport, Gustine Airport, and Los Banos Municipal Airport.

Communities

Cities

• Atwater
• Dos Palos
• Gustine
• Livingston
• Los Banos
• Merced (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Ballico
• Bear Creek
• Cressey
• Delhi
• Dos Palos Y
• El Nido
• Franklin
• Hilmar-Irwin
• Le Grand
• McSwain
• Planada
• Santa Nella
• Snelling
• South Dos Palos
• Stevinson
• Tuttle
• University of California Merced
• Volta
• Winton

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Merced County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)	Population (2018 CA Department of Finance)
1	† Merced	City	78,958	86,750
2	Los Banos	City	35,972	40,986
3	Atwater	City	28,168	31,235
4	Livingston	City	13,058	14,328
5	Delhi	CDP	10,755
6	Winton	CDP	10,613
7	Franklin-Beachwood	CDP	6,149
8	Gustine	City	5,520	5,874
9	Hilmar-Irwin	CDP	5,197
10	Dos Palos	City	4,950	5,679
11	Planada	CDP	4,584
12	McSwain	CDP	4,171
13	Le Grand	CDP	1,659
14	South Dos Palos	CDP	1,620
15	Santa Nella	CDP	1,380
16	Ballico	CDP	406
17	Cressey	CDP	394
18	El Nido	CDP	330
19	Dos Palos Y	CDP	323
20	Stevinson	CDP	313
21	Bear Creek	CDP	290
22	Volta	CDP	246
23	Snelling	CDP	231
24	Tuttle	CDP	103

Education

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - text list</ref>

K-12: Template:Div col

• Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District
• Delhi Unified School District
• Gustine Unified School District
• Hilmar Unified School District
• Los Banos Unified School District
• Turlock Unified School District

Secondary:

• Le Grand Union High School District
• Merced Union High School District

Elementary: Template:Div col

• Atwater Elementary School District
• Ballico-Cressey Elementary School District
• El Nido Elementary School District
• Le Grand Union Elementary School District
• Livingston Union School District
• McSwain Union Elementary School District
• Merced City Elementary School District
• Merced River Union Elementary School District
• Plainsburg Union Elementary School District
• Planada Elementary School District
• Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary School District
• Weaver Union Elementary School District
• Winton School District

University of California Merced is in the county.

Places of interest

The former Castle Air Force Base and the United States Penitentiary, Atwater are located in an unincorporated area near Atwater.

See also

• List of California Historical Landmarks
• List of museums in the San Joaquin Valley
• List of school districts in Merced County, California
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Merced County, California

Further reading

• A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Merced, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa, California. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1892.

External links

• Template:Official website