How many people have a disability in ?

Refreshed annually
An average of 35,900 people living in Merced County, CA between 2020 and 2024 reported having a disability. This means that around 1 in 8 people in Merced County, CA have a disability. In census data, a person with a disability is someone who reports difficulty with walking or climbing stairs, hearing, vision, self-care, cognition, or independent living.

35.9K

people with a disability (2020–2024)

12.5%

population with a disability (2020–2024)

How does the federal government determine who has a disability?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a person with a disability as someone who:

  • has a physical or mental condition that significantly limits one or more major life activities,
  • has a past history or documented record of such a condition (for example, cancer in remission), or
  • is regarded by others as having such a condition, even if it does not currently limit major life activities (for example, someone with visible burn scars).


There is no standard government approach to measuring disability, but in its American Community Survey (ACS), the Census Bureau considers a person with a disability as an individual who self-reports difficulty with walking or climbing stairs, hearing, independent living, vision, self-care, and/or cognition.

The share of people with disabilities in Merced County, CA is likely shaped by a range of factors, age and geographic differences. From 2020–2024, 12.5% of the Merced County, CA population had a disability, 0.9 percentage points above the California average and 0.8 percentage points below the national average.
An important breakdown in disabilities is age and how they affect age groups differently. According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, older adults are more likely to go to the hospital for infectious diseases and are at a higher risks for chronic conditions more than any other age group. These trends are reflected in disability rates across different age groups.

The share of people with disabilities in Merced County, CA was 0.8 percentage points below the national average from 2020–2024.

Share of people with a disability in California (2020–2024)

Which age group is likeliest to have a disability in Merced County, CA?

From 2020–2024, adults aged 75 and older in Merced County, CA show the largest difference from California age groups, with a rate 10.7 percentage points higher than the rest of the state.
An important breakdown in disabilities is age and how they affect age groups differently. According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, older adults are more likely to go to the hospital for infectious diseases and are at a higher risks for chronic conditions more than any other age group. These trends are reflected in disability rates across different age groups.

From 2020–2024, 58.8% of adults aged 75 and older had a disability.

Share of people with a disability, by age group (2020–2024)

How does Merced County, CA’s disability rate rank with the rest of the state?

From 2020–2024, Merced County, CA ranks 35 out of 58, in comparison to other California counties with available data, for the highest share of people with disabilities. Reflecting a similar rate are Stanislaus County, CA with 12.6% and Tulare County, CA with 12.5% of the population.

From 2020–2024, Merced County, CA ranked 35th for the highest share of people with disabilities.

Share of people with a disability in California, by county (2020–2024)

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.