County in California, United States
County in California, United States
Merced County, California
County of MercedImages, 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 Museumin
AtwaterSeal
Interactive map of Merced County
Location in the state of
California Coordinates: 37°11′N 120°43′W / 37.19°N 120.71°W / 37.19; -120.71 Country United States State California Region San Joaquin Valley Incorporated April 19, 1855[1] Named after 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 • Type Council–CEO • Body Board of Supervisors • Chair Josh Pedrozo • Vice Chair Daron McDaniel • Board of Supervisors[2]Supervisors
• 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] 3,801 ft (1,159 m)• Total
281,202 • Density 140/sq mi (55/km2) • Total $11.560 billion (2022) Time zone UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone) • Summer (DST) UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time) ZIP code93620, 93635, 93661, 93665, 95301, 95303, 95312, 95315, 95317, 95322, 95324, 95333, 95334, 95388, 95340, 95341, 95343, 95344, 95348, 95365, 95369, 95374
[5] Area code 209 FIPS code 06-047 GNIS feature ID 277288 Congressional district 13th Website www.co.merced.ca.usMerced County ( 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.[6] The county seat is Merced.[7] 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.
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.
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.[8]
National protected areas[edit] Historical population 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% 2024 (est.) 296,774 [9] 5.5% Merced County, California – Racial and ethnic compositionThe 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%).[29]
Population reported at 2010 United States census The County TotalAs of the census[30] of 2000, there were 210,554 people, 63,815 households, and 49,775 families residing in the county. The population density was 109 people per square mile (42 people/km2). There were 68,373 housing units at an average density of 36 units per square mile (14 units/km2). 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.[31]
Government and policing[edit]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.[32]
Merced County Sheriff's Office[edit] 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.[33]
Municipal police departments[edit]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[edit]In the United States House of Representatives, Merced County is in California's 13th congressional district, represented by Democrat Adam Gray.[34]
In the California State Legislature, Merced County is in the 27th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Esmeralda Soria, and the 14th senatorial district, represented by Democrat Anna Caballero.[35]
Voter registration statistics[edit] Population and registered voters Total population[23] 253,606 Registered voters[36][note 3] 98,874 39.0% Democratic[36] 43,981 44.5% Republican[36] 32,767 33.1% Democratic–Republican spread[36] +11,214 +11.4% Independent[36] 3,016 3.1% Green[36] 568 0.6% Libertarian[36] 483 0.5% Peace and Freedom[36] 318 0.3% Americans Elect[36] 2 0.0% Other[36] 180 0.2% No party preference[36] 17,559 17.8% Cities by population and voter registration[edit] Cities by population and voter registration City Population[23] Registered voters[36]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.[37]
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.[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.
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[23] 253,606 Violent crime[39] 1,658 6.54 Homicide[39] 26 0.10 Forcible rape[39] 78 0.31 Robbery[39] 276 1.09 Aggravated assault[39] 1,278 5.04 Property crime[39] 4,390 17.31 Burglary[39] 2,318 9.14 Larceny-theft[39][40] 5,089 20.07 Motor vehicle theft[39] 903 3.56 Arson[39] 90 0.35 Cities by population and crime rates[edit] Cities by population and crime rates City Population[41] Violent crimes[41] Violent crime rateAccording to America's Labor Market Information System 2014 report,[42] the companies with the largest employment in Merced are, in alphabetical order:
Merced County grows 90% of California's sweet potato crop,[43] due in part to the efforts of John Buttencourt Avila, called "the father of the sweet potato industry".
Public transportation[edit]Merced Regional Airport, located two miles (3.2 km) southwest of downtown Merced, provides passenger air service. General aviation airports in the county include Castle Airport, Gustine Airport, and Los Banos Municipal Airport.
Population ranking[edit]The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Merced County.[44]
† 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 103School districts include:[45]
K-12:
Secondary:
Elementary:
University of California Merced is in the county.
Places of interest[edit]The former Castle Air Force Base and the United States Penitentiary, Atwater are located in an unincorporated area near Atwater.
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