Census-designated place · Merced County, California

Franklin (CDP), California

Franklin is a census-designated place in Merced County, California, part of the Merced, CA metro area. It has 7,392 residents. Franklin (CDP), California has a quality-of-life score of 2 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,410 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within California it ranks #1,011 of 1,062 cities and towns. It ranks best on comfortable days (high), drought exposure (low) and suicide rate (low). It ranks worst on social associations (low), high school diploma or higher (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high).

2Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,410 of 15,651 cities and towns
California: #1,011 of 1,062 in CA
Population: 7,392 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 3,650.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 0625488

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety16#13,168/15,637
Economy11#13,927/15,631
Housing7#13,916/14,977
Health38#9,625/15,609
Healthcare23#11,983/15,650
Environment9#14,050/15,453
Education1#15,516/15,649
Infrastructure24#11,819/15,650
Community2#15,378/15,651
Leisure & amenities13#13,618/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Franklin (CDP), California ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Merced County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Comfortable days · high33.4%
91/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMerced County value
Drought exposure · low2%
90/100California 9%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAMerced County value
Suicide rate · low9.2 /100k
87/100California 9.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMerced County value
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/100California 12.4%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMerced County value
Grocery stores · high2.1 /10k
76/100California 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMerced County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low9 mi
76/100California 10 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMerced County value

Weaknesses

Social associations · low3.4 /10k
2/100California 6.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMerced County value
High school diploma or higher · low70.7%
3/100California 84.7%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high10.0 µg/m³
3/100California 9.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMerced County value
Loneliness · high39.9%
4/100California 37.8%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
New business applications · low7.4 /1k
4/100California 14.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauMerced County value
Students per teacher · high21.7×
4/100California 21.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsMerced County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
6,929 (2015-2019) → 7,392 (2020-2024)
+6.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
21.1% (2015-2019) → 31.4% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.8× (2015-2019) → 5.3× (2020-2024)
+39%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
54.7% (2015-2019) → 49.7% (2020-2024)
−5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
8.6% (2015-2019) → 13.2% (2020-2024)
+4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Poverty rateWorsening
19.5% (2015-2019) → 22.9% (2020-2024)
+3.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Franklin (CDP), California improved on 1 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 13 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Bachelor's++4.6 points8.6% → 13.2%

Declined1

Price / income+1.5×3.8× → 5.3×

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Franklin (CDP), California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.7 min2015-2019	23.3 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Within the margin of error	40%
Bachelor's degree or higher	8.6%2015-2019	13.2%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Improved	65%
Broadband subscriptions	81.9%2015-2019	80.8%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Child poverty rate	21.1%2015-2019	31.4%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Effective property tax rate	0.72%2015-2019	0.86%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	5%
High school diploma or higher	72.9%2015-2019	70.7%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Home price to income ratio	3.8×2015-2019	5.3×2020-2024	+1.5×	Declined	9%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3992015-2019	0.4382020-2024	+0.040	Within the margin of error	21%
Median household income	$51,5892015-2019	$58,2952020-2024	+13%	Within the margin of error	21%
Poverty rate	19.5%2015-2019	22.9%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	32.4%2015-2019	29.9%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Rent-burdened households	54.7%2015-2019	49.7%2020-2024	−5 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Unemployment rate	8.6%2015-2019	6.9%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.7%2015-2019	7.8%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	25%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Franklin (CDP), California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Franklin (CDP), California in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Franklin (CDP), California itself moved −7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

7,392 residents (±1,253)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 men (−6.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

7,392 residents (±1,253)

Franklin (CDP), California
California share

White13%†962
Black6.0%†445
Hispanic or Latino58%4,285

Education

4,694 residents (±896)

Franklin (CDP), California
California share

No high school diploma29%†1,377
High school or GED27%1,262
Some college24%†1,113

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,199 households (±382)

Franklin (CDP), California
California share

Under $25k26%†563
$25k–50k12%†268
$50k–75k34%†754
$75k–100k6.1%†135
$100k–150k10%†229
$150k–200k8.7%†192
$200k or more2.6%†58

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−12.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,199 households (±382)

Franklin (CDP), California
California share

Own79%1,738
Rent21%†461

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+21.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

447 households (±165)

Franklin (CDP), California
California share

Under $7509.4%†42
$750–1,0008.5%†38
$1,000–1,50047%†

Home values

1,738 homes (±380)

Franklin (CDP), California
California share

Under $150k27%†462
$150k–250k4.2%†73
$250k–400k57%986

Age of homes

2,345 homes (±405)

Franklin (CDP), California
California share

2010 or later2.8%†65
2000–200924%552
1980–199932%†754

Size of homes

2,345 homes (±405)

Franklin (CDP), California
California share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom3.8%†88
2 bedrooms22%†515

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,742 workers (±714)

Franklin (CDP), California
California share

Drive alone83%†2,270
Carpool7.8%†214
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home7.2%†198
Other2.2%†60

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,544 workers (±686)

Franklin (CDP), California
California share

Under 15 min31%†799
15–29 min46%†1,166
30–44 min15%†369

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Merced, CA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Merced County, the county holding most of Franklin's residents.

Merced County has 3,592 employer establishments, 122 for every 10,000 residents (0.49× the US rate of 248; 0.46× California's), with 49,545 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,482. The Census Bureau also counts 15,002 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,592; 15,002 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 122; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 49,545
Average annual pay: $49,482; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Merced County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	356	12.1	0.58×Fewer than typical	3,282	$67,165	448
Restaurants and other eating places	335	11.4	0.62×Fewer than typical	5,977	$22,660	87
Truck transportation	280	9.5	1.88×More than typical	1,173	$59,273	1,478
Specialty trade contractors	273	9.3	0.60×Fewer than typical	2,592	$63,887	719
Limited-service restaurants	169	5.7	0.72×Fewer than typical	3,687	$20,647	30
Lessors of real estate	149	5.1	0.41×Fewer than typical	559	$41,599	1,010
Offices of physicians	127	4.3	0.67×Fewer than typical	912	$78,552	53
Construction of buildings	122	4.1	0.55×Fewer than typical	529	$56,692	474
Full-service restaurants	117	4	0.52×Fewer than typical	1,581	$26,801	38
Building equipment contractors	106	3.6	0.60×Fewer than typical	744	$59,239	150
Services to buildings and dwellings	104	3.5	0.52×Fewer than typical	513	$44,275	1,139
Automotive repair and maintenance	103	3.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	595	$44,197	343

Rank places for an industry Open Merced County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 294,319 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $4,744 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Franklin (CDP), California: $0.64 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $4,744; +22% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.64; US $1,995
Sole-source: 22%; US 30%
Single offer: 51%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

National Park Service$2,39751%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$1,04922%
Bureau of Land Management$76816%
Forest Service$52911%

Top recipients

MACEDO, KAREN$2,92662%
MERCED COUNTY REGIONAL WASTE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY$1,04922%
LOTUS LOGISTICS LLC$76816%

Spending by fiscal year

2.2KFY2017
2.4KFY2018
6KFY2019
8.4KFY2020
9.9KFY2021
20.5KFY2022
28.8KFY2023
4.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Other crop farming · 1119$2,39751%
Waste treatment and disposal · 5622$1,04922%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$76816%
Animal food manufacturing · 3111$52911%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Franklin (CDP), California, so they do not add up across cities.

Franklin (CDP), California's figures are part of those of Merced County, CA ($155.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Franklin is mostly in Merced County.

See federal money in Merced County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Franklin (CDP), California is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Adam GrayD-CA-13 · 100% of residentsWith party 76%Missed 5.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Merced County9100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Merced, CA4

Other cities and towns in Merced County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0625488

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends