Merced County Profile

 
About this area:
 Located in central California, Merced is bordered by Santa Clara County to the northwest, Stanislaus County to the north, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties to the east, Madera and Fresno counties to the south, and San Benito County to the west. More than half of the county’s land is made up of an agriculturally-rich alluvial plain produced by the Chowchilla, San Joaquin, and Merced Rivers. Agriculture is one of the county’s main sources of revenue and, based on production, Merced is the fifth-leading agricultural county in California. Milk and related products from Merced’s commercial dairies generate the greatest amount of revenue. Other crops grown in commercial quantities include poultry, beef, almonds, and tomatoes.
EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES
Unemployment Rate and Labor Force (Not Seasonally Adjusted)[Top]
Area
Year
Time Period
Labor Force
No. of
Employed
No. of
Unemployed
Unemployment Rate
Merced County 2025Sep125,200114,60010,6008.5
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Employment by Industry (Not Seasonally Adjusted)[Top]
Year
Time Period
CES
Industry Title
No. of
Employed
2025SepTotal, All Industries92,700
2025SepTotal Nonfarm75,000
2025SepService-Providing61,400
2025SepTotal Private55,000
2025SepPrivate Service Providing41,400
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Occupations with Fastest Job Growth (% change)[Top]
OccupationEstimated Year -
Projected Year
Employment
 Employment Change
Estimated ProjectedNumberPercent
Nurse Practitioners2022 - 20321101807063.6
Physician Assistants2022 - 203250803060.0
Medical and Health Services Managers2022 - 20321802507038.9
Financial Services Sales Agents2022 - 20321101504036.4
Medical Assistants2022 - 203257077020035.1
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High Wage Occupations[Top]
OccupationYearTime PeriodHourly
Mean		Hourly by Percentile
25thMedian75th
Podiatrists20241st Qtr$130.62$0.00$0.00$0.00
Family Medicine Physicians20241st Qtr$118.65$0.00$0.00$0.00
Chief Executives20241st Qtr$111.79$64.23$0.00$0.00
Pediatricians, General20241st Qtr$107.46$0.00$0.00$0.00
Physicians, All Other20241st Qtr$92.16$33.51$73.56$0.00
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Data for Merced County is not available. Data for Merced MSA has been displayed for High Wage Occupations
 
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
Building Permits (US Census Bureau)[Top]
Type of Permit
Year
Time Period
No. of Permits
Total Costs
Multi-Family 2024Annual0$0
Single Family 2024Annual429$135,015,819
Total all types construction permits 2024Annual429$135,015,819
 Historical Data  

Consumer Price Index (US BLS & Calif. DIR)[Top]
AreaConsumer Price Index % Change
Time Period2024Time Period2023
United States Annual313.7Annual300.72.9
California Annual342.0Annual331.83.1
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Data for Merced County is not available. Data for California has been displayed for Consumer Price Index (US BLS & Calif. DIR)
 
Median Price of Existing Homes Sold[Top]
Year
Time Period
Type
Median Price
2024AnnualMedian Price of Homes Sold$406,800
More Areas  Historical Data   Data from the California Association of Realtors

State Revenues by Source[Top]
Tax Type Description
Year
Time Period
Tax Revenue
Alcoholic Beverage Taxes and Fees 2023Annual$418,350
Bank and Corporation (Income) Taxes 2023Annual$34,317,908
Cigarette Tax 2023Annual$1,380,995
Horse Racing (Parimutuel) License Fees 2023Annual$20,741
Estate, Inheritance and Gift Taxes 2023Annual$0
More Areas  Historical Data  

Data for Merced County is not available. Data for California has been displayed for State Revenues by Source
 
Taxable Sales (Calif. Board of Equalization)[Top]
Year
Time Period
Sales Type Description
Sales
2024AnnualRetail $4,196,216,898
More Areas  Historical Data  

POPULATION AND CENSUS DATA
Population[Top]
Area
Year
Time Period
Source
Population
Merced County 2023AnnualCalifornia Dept of Finance288,589
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Measures of Income[Top]
Income Type
Year
Time Period
Income
Population
Per Capita Personal Income - BEA2023Annual$46,654288,589
Total Personal Income - BEA2023Annual$13,619,268288,589
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County-to-County Commute Patterns (US Census Bureau)[Top]
Year
Time Period
Area of Residence
Area of WorkPlace
Number of Workers
2020CensusMerced County , CAMerced County , CA71,769
2020CensusMerced County , CAStanislaus County , CA15,377
2020CensusStanislaus County , CAMerced County , CA7,184
2020CensusMerced County , CASanta Clara County , CA5,377
2020CensusMadera County , CAMerced County , CA2,392
More  Historical Data  

JOB OPENINGS & TRAINING PROVIDERS
Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange[Top]
 
Job Openings

Training Providers in Area[Top]
Provider Name
Provider Type
Location
Sierra College of BeautyApprenticeship, Business, Career, & Tech SchoolsMerced,CA
Merced Adult SchoolSchools with Occupational Programs (ROP)Merced,CA
Merced CollegeCommunity Colleges (two-year school)Merced,CA
H & R Block Income Tax School - MercedApprenticeship, Business, Career, & Tech SchoolsMerced,CA
Central Valley Opportunity CenterOther (incl. religious schools and seminaries)Winton,CA
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