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Merced County, California | |
|---|---|
| County of Merced | |
    Images, from top down, left to right: The historic Merced Theatre, San Luis Reservoir, UC Merced, The B-29A Super Fortress exhibit at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater | |
 Seal | |
 Interactive map of Merced County | |
 Location in the state of California | |
| Coordinates: 37°11′N 120°43′W / 37.19°N 120.71°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | San Joaquin Valley |
| Incorporated | April 19, 1855[1] |
| Named for | Merced River, originally El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced ("River of Our Lady of Mercy" in Spanish). |
| County seat | Merced |
| Largest city | Merced |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–CEO |
| • Body | Board of Supervisors |
| • Chair | Lloyd Pareira, Jr |
| • Vice Chair | Scott Silveira |
| • Board of Supervisors[2] | Supervisors
|
| • Chief executive officer | Raul Lomeli Mendez |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,979 sq mi (5,130 km2) |
| • Land | 1,935 sq mi (5,010 km2) |
| • Water | 44 sq mi (110 km2) |
| Highest elevation | 3,801 ft (1,159 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 281,202 |
| • Density | 140/sq mi (55/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time) |
| ZIP code | 93620, 93635, 93661, 93665, 95301, 95303, 95312, 95315, 95317, 95322, 95324, 95333, 95334, 95388, 95340, 95341, 95343, 95344, 95348, 95365, 95369, 95374[4] |
| Area code | 209 |
| FIPS code | 06-047 |
| GNIS feature ID | 277288 |
| Congressional district | 13th |
| Website | www |
Merced County (/mərˈsɛd/ ⓘ mər-SED), 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.[5] The county seat is Merced.[6] The county is named after the Merced River.
Merced County comprises the Merced, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Modesto-Merced, CA 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 1,979 square miles (5,130 km2), of which 1,935 square miles (5,010 km2) is land and 44 square miles (110 km2) (2.2%) is water.[7]
National protected areas
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 1,141 | — | |
| 1870 | 2,807 | 146.0% | |
| 1880 | 5,656 | 101.5% | |
| 1890 | 8,085 | 42.9% | |
| 1900 | 9,215 | 14.0% | |
| 1910 | 15,148 | 64.4% | |
| 1920 | 24,579 | 62.3% | |
| 1930 | 36,748 | 49.5% | |
| 1940 | 46,988 | 27.9% | |
| 1950 | 69,780 | 48.5% | |
| 1960 | 90,446 | 29.6% | |
| 1970 | 104,629 | 15.7% | |
| 1980 | 134,560 | 28.6% | |
| 1990 | 178,403 | 32.6% | |
| 2000 | 210,554 | 18.0% | |
| 2010 | 255,793 | 21.5% | |
| 2020 | 281,202 | 9.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 291,920 | [8] | 3.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010[13] 2020[14] | |||
2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[14] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 81,599 | 68,729 | 31.90% | 24.44% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 8,785 | 8,191 | 3.43% | 2.91% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 1,126 | 1,164 | 0.44% | 0.41% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 18,183 | 19,824 | 7.11% | 7.05% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 476 | 617 | 0.19% | 0.22% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 439 | 1,242 | 0.17% | 0.44% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 4,700 | 7,578 | 1.84% | 2.69% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 140,485 | 173,857 | 54.92% | 61.83% |
| Total | 255,793 | 281,202 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
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
| Population, race, and income | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total population[15] | 253,606 | ||||
| White[15] | 170,229 | 67.1% | |||
| Black or African American[15] | 9,837 | 3.9% | |||
| American Indian or Alaska Native[15] | 2,617 | 1.0% | |||
| Asian[15] | 18,904 | 7.5% | |||
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander[15] | 517 | 0.2% | |||
| Some other race[15] | 43,893 | 17.3% | |||
| Two or more races[15] | 7,609 | 3.0% | |||
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[16] | 137,974 | 54.4% | |||
| Per capita income[17] | $18,304 | ||||
| Median household income[18] | $43,945 | ||||
| Median family income[19] | $48,429 | ||||
Places by population, race, and income
| Places by population and race | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Type[20] | Population[15] | White[15] | Other[15] [note 1] |
Asian[15] | Black or African American[15] |
Native American[15] [note 2] |
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[16] |
| 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% |