City safety & data profile

AtwaterCA

Atwater, CA is a 29K-resident city in Merced County with a median household income of $64,472.

Merced County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Atwater, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Atwater has a population larger than 62% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $363,400.

Data updated 2026-07-20

29K
Population
Top 38%
By size
$64,472
Median income
$363,400
Median home
21%
Poverty rate

The read on Atwater

Atwater posts a median household income higher than 29% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 71%
by median income, US cities

Where Atwater income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$64,472 Bottom 29% higher than 29% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. CA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Atwater, CA beyond the headline numbers

Atwater sits inside Merced County, California, at roughly 37.35°N, -120.61°W. Population 29,237, $64,472 median household income. Median home value $363,400, median rent $1,279. Poverty rate 21%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Atwater's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 37.8%, then obesity at 34.2%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Atwater from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
29,237
Atwater
Median Income
$64,472
-5% vs avg
Median Home Value
$363,400
+60% vs avg
Median Age
33
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Merced County) - Atwater's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
290K+12%
Median Income
$65,510+54%
Median Home Value
$391,800+168%
Poverty Rate
19.1%-25%
Unemployment
10.5%-41%

Economics

Economics indicators for Atwater, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,279/mo
Poverty Rate
21% +48% vs avg
Unemployment 12.2%
Bachelor's Degree+ 12.9%
Work From Home 4.2%
Public Transit 0.7%

Population

White 35.6%
African American 3.1%
Asian 7%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
37.8%
Obesity
34.2%
Physical Inactivity
32.8%
High Blood Pressure
32.3%
Frequent Mental Distress
19.2%
Lack of Health Insurance
17.1%
Frequent Physical Distress
16.4%
Binge Drinking
15.9%
Current Smoking
14.5%
Diabetes
13.1%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 55%
Annual Checkup 69.9%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
10.2%
Coronary Heart Disease
6.4%
Stroke
3.7%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Atwater, CA? ▼
Atwater, CA has a population of 29,237 people, located in Merced County, California.
What is the median household income in Atwater? ▼
The median household income in Atwater, CA is $64,472 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 21%.
What is the median home value in Atwater? ▼
The median home value in Atwater, CA is $363,400. Median rent is $1,279/month.
What are the top health concerns in Atwater? ▼
The top health indicators in Atwater include Short Sleep Duration (37.8%), Obesity (34.2%), Physical Inactivity (32.8%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Atwater? ▼
The median age in Atwater, CA is 33 years. 12.9% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Atwater, CA is located in Merced County, California. With a population of 29K and a $64,472 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Safety alerts for the Atwater area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - California

Real-time AQI for every monitored California location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Winton, CA 11K Livingston, CA 14K Merced, CA 82K Delhi, CA 11K Turlock, CA 72K Los Banos, CA 37K Newman, CA 11K Chowchilla, CA 19K
All cities in California → Compare Atwater vs Winton → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Atwater's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Atwater area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Atwater against California peers on any ranking lens. Explore California

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Merced County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.