Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety21#731/924
Economy7#856/925
Housing6#865/925
Health56#410/925
Healthcare20#739/923
Environment20#737/917
Education3#899/925
Infrastructure25#693/925
Community6#874/925
Leisure & amenities10#829/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Merced, CA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Suicide rate · low9.2 /100k
97/100California 9.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high33.4%
94/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Drought exposure · low2%
92/100California 9%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · low9 mi
85/100California 10 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · low73 /100k
83/100California 67 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high2.1 /10k
83/100California 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Unemployment rate · high10.2%
0/100California 5.5%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high10.0 µg/m³
1/100California 9.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Social associations · low3.4 /10k
1/100California 6.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
High school diploma or higher · low72.3%
2/100California 84.7%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Average commute time · high31.3 min
2/100California 28.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Restaurants and bars · low4.2 /10k
2/100California 8.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Trends

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

PopulationRising
282,895 (2020) → 297,260 (2025)
+5.1%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureImproving
100% (2021) → 2% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−98 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysImproving
27 days (2017) → 8 days (2022)
−70%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
36.5% (Dec 2021) → 46.2% (Aug 2026)
+9.7 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Voter turnoutWorsening
62.3% (2020) → 52.6% (2024)
−9.7 pts4 yearsUS 68.5% → 65.2%
New homes permittedWorsening
3.5 /1k (2021) → 1.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−46%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

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, Merced, CA metro area improved on 16 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 8. 5 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved16

Real income+38%$37,956 → $52,385
High school++3.2 points69.1% → 72.3%
Traffic deaths−12%22.5 /100k → 19.9 /100k
Firearm deaths−19%13.1 /100k → 10.6 /100k
Poverty−2.1 points21.2% → 19.1%

Declined8

Libraries−14%0.5 /10k → 0.4 /10k
Price / income+1.3×4.7× → 6.0×
Commute+2.6 min28.6 min → 31.3 min
Overdose deaths+9.2%18.5 /100k → 20.2 /100k
Transit use−0.7 points1.2% → 0.5%

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Merced, CA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.5 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−2.6%	Little change	24%
Average commute time	28.6 min2015-2019	31.3 min2020-2024	+2.6 min	Declined	8%
Average weekly wage	$9132020	$1,0932025	+20%	Improved	19%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.8%2015-2019	15.3%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Improved	23%
Broadband subscriptions	83.9%2015-2019	88.4%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Improved	6%
Child poverty rate	29.8%2015-2019	26.5%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Improved	61%
Distance to an airport	59 mi2020	59 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	18.5 /100k2020	20.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+9.2%	Declined	22%
Effective property tax rate	0.71%2015-2019	0.67%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Firearm deaths	13.1 /100k2020	10.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−19%	Improved	81%
Grocery stores	2.0 /10k2020	2.1 /10k2025	+5.4%	Improved	69%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.6 /10k2020	0.5 /10k2025	−10%	Declined	25%
High school diploma or higher	69.1%2015-2019	72.3%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Improved	83%
Home price to income ratio	4.7×2015-2019	6.0×2020-2024	+1.3×	Declined	6%
Homicide rate	10.6 /100k2020	7.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−29%	Improved	55%
Income adjusted for local prices	$37,9562019	$52,3852024	+38%	Improved	84%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4722015-2019	0.4652020-2024	−0.007	Within the margin of error	74%
Median household income	$53,6722015-2019	$65,5102020-2024	+22%	Improved	22%
New business applications	5.2 /1k2020	7.4 /1k2025	+43%	Improved	46%
Pharmacies	1.3 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	−17%	Declined	26%
Poverty rate	21.2%2015-2019	19.1%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Improved	75%
Property crime rate	2,154 /100k2020	1,826 /100k2025	−15%	Improved	18%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−14%	Declined	7%
Public transit commuters	1.2%2015-2019	0.5%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Declined	26%
Rent as share of income	30.3%2015-2019	31.0%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Rent-burdened households	50.6%2015-2019	51.9%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Restaurants and bars	4.5 /10k2020	4.2 /10k2025	−5.6%	Declined	24%
Suicide rate	8.9 /100k2020	9.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+3.4%	Little change	54%
Traffic deaths	22.5 /100k2015-2019	19.9 /100k2020-2024	−12%	Improved	79%
Unemployment rate	12.5%2020	10.2%2025	−2.3 points	Improved	32%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.2%2015-2019	8.9%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Violent crime rate	610 /100k2020	479 /100k2025	−22%	Improved	60%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Merced, CA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Merced, CA metro area 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, Merced, CA metro area itself moved −2.6 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

290,201 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

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

Household income

86,055 households (±548)

Merced, CA metro area
United States share

Under $25k19%15,958
$25k–50k19%16,687
$50k–75k19%15,941

Homes

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

Owners and renters

86,055 households (±548)

Merced, CA metro area
United States share

Own54%46,474
Rent46%39,581

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+1.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

111,073 workers (±2,014)

Merced, CA metro area
United States share

Drive alone76%84,446
Carpool11%11,690
Public transit0.5%†565

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Merced, CA employ 23,110 people. 8 pay a median above the US median and 2 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Merced, CA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Home Health and Personal Care Aides4,990 jobs	4,990	$34,320US $35,800	−4%	2.27×
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse3,820 jobs	3,820

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.

Merced, CA has 3,592 employer establishments, 122 for every 10,000 residents (0.49× the US rate of 248), 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
Paid employees: 49,545
Average annual pay: $49,482; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Merced, CA 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

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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $155.1M on contracts performed in Merced, CA metro area: $522 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $155.1M; −40% vs FY2025
Per resident: $522; US $1,994
Sole-source: 4.8%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.1%; 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

Bureau of Reclamation$125.3M81%
Agricultural Marketing Service$17.2M11%
Department of Veterans Affairs$5.3M3.4%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$5M3.2%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$1.9M1.2%
Federal Aviation Administration$227.2K0.1%
Bureau of Land Management$98.9K0.1%
National Park Service$69.8K0.0%

Top recipients

NW CONSTRUCTION, INC$125.3M81%
FOSTER POULTRY FARMS, LLC$8.2M5.3%
MORNING STAR PACKING COMPANY, L.P., THE$5.3M3.4%
SEVEN CORNERS INC$4.1M2.7%
RONALD DANEL$3.2M2.1%

Spending by fiscal year

21.4MFY2017
38MFY2018
29.7MFY2019
37.8MFY2020
37.1MFY2021
33.2MFY2022
33MFY2023
31.7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$125.3M81%
Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$8.9M5.8%
Animal slaughtering and processing · 3116$8.2M5.3%
General medical and surgical hospitals · 6221$4.1M2.7%
Other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing · 3279$3.2M2.1%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617

Largest awards

THE WORK REQUIRED IS FOR PHASE II OF B.F. SISK DAM SOD MODIFICATIONS.$257.4M
NW CONSTRUCTION, INC· Merced County, CA· Construction & real property· May 20, 2025 – Sep 3, 2026· 140R2025C0004
IMPROVE OPERATIONS AT ARROYO CANAL FISH SCREEN/SACK DAM FISH PASSAGE PROJECT$94.7M
NW CONSTRUCTION, INC· Merced County, CA· Construction & real property· Jul 15, 2025 – Sep 24, 2026· 140R2025C0006
FACILITATE THE AFS RESPONSES UNDER CERCLA TO CHARACTERIZE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND DEFINE THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF CONTAMINATION.$10.8M
CAPE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT INC· Merced County, CA· Professional services· Sep 30, 2021 – May 28, 2026· FA890321F0142

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.3B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Merced, CA metro area: $4,231 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $1.3B; −9.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4,231; US $12,955
Loan face value: $46.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 6.5%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$633.6M50%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$92.7M7.4%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$83M6.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$72.4M5.8%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$70.3M5.6%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$54.5M4.3%
10.987 · Emergency Livestock Relief Program 2023 and 2024 Flood and Wildfire$30.1M2.4%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$26.3M2.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

MERCED COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT$35.9M2.9%
MERCED, CA
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED$35.6M2.8%
MERCED, CA
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY OF MERCED$30.4M2.4%
MERCED, CA
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION$20M1.6%
MERCED, CA
GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$869.1M69%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$99.6M7.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Farm Service Agency$69.8M5.5%
Department of Agriculture
Department of Education$58.8M4.7%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$29.2M

Assistance by fiscal year

1.4BFY2021
1.1BFY2022
1.2BFY2023
1.2BFY2024
1.4BFY2025
1.3BFY2026

County aggregates

79%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Merced, CA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Merced CountyCentral county9297,260

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

MercedPrincipal city91,953

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in California

Areas based in California, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M32900

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined8

Metro and micro areas like Merced, CA metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Merced, CA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in California

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved16

Declined8

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought