City safety & data profile

MercedCA

Merced, CA is a 82K-resident city in Merced County with a median household income of $63,122.

Merced County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Merced, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Merced has a population larger than 90% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $372,600, and 1 hospital serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

82K
Population
Top 10%
By size
$63,122
Median income
$372,600
Median home
23.9%
Poverty rate

The read on Merced

Merced posts a median household income higher than 27% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 hospital serves the Merced area.

Top 73%
by median income, US cities
1
hospital in & near Merced

Where Merced income ranks nationally

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

$63,122 Bottom 27% higher than 27% 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 Merced, CA beyond the headline numbers

Merced sits inside Merced County, California, at roughly 37.30°N, -120.48°W. Population 82,436, $63,122 median household income. Median home value $372,600, median rent $1,393. Poverty rate 23.9%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Merced's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 38.8%, then obesity at 33.7%. 1 hospital in/around Merced, 3/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

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

Population
82,436
Merced
Median Income
$63,122
-7% vs avg
Median Home Value
$372,600
+64% vs avg
Median Age
30
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Merced County) - Merced'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 Merced, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,393/mo
Poverty Rate
23.9% +68% vs avg
Unemployment 11.3%
Bachelor's Degree+ 20.2%
Work From Home 8.4%
Public Transit 0.8%

Population

White 28.9%
African American 5%
Asian 9.6%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
38.8%
Obesity
33.7%
Physical Inactivity
33.1%
High Blood Pressure
31.3%
Frequent Mental Distress
19.6%
Lack of Health Insurance
17.1%
Frequent Physical Distress
16.1%
Binge Drinking
15.7%
Current Smoking
14.6%
Diabetes
13%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 51.9%
Annual Checkup 69.3%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
10.1%
Coronary Heart Disease
6.1%
Stroke
3.5%

Hospitals 1 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
0
★★★★
0
★★★
1
★★
0
★
0
Average Rating
3/5
Total Hospitals
1
With ER
1
MERCY MEDICAL CENTER
MERCED · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★☆☆

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Merced, CA? ▼
Merced, CA has a population of 82,436 people, located in Merced County, California.
What is the median household income in Merced? ▼
The median household income in Merced, CA is $63,122 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 23.9%.
What is the median home value in Merced? ▼
The median home value in Merced, CA is $372,600. Median rent is $1,393/month.
What are the top health concerns in Merced? ▼
The top health indicators in Merced include Short Sleep Duration (38.8%), Obesity (33.7%), Physical Inactivity (33.1%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Merced? ▼
Merced has 1 hospital with an average rating of 3/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Merced? ▼
The median age in Merced, CA is 30 years. 20.2% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Merced, CA is located in Merced County, California. With a population of 82K and a $63,122 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Residents have access to 1 hospital with an average rating of 3/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Merced 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

Atwater, CA 29K Winton, CA 11K Livingston, CA 14K Chowchilla, CA 19K Delhi, CA 11K Turlock, CA 72K Los Banos, CA 37K Newman, CA 11K
All cities in California → Compare Merced vs Atwater → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Merced'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 Merced 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 Merced 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.