How many people live in Merced County, CA?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 296,800 people living in Merced County, CA. That makes Merced County the 23rd-most populous county in California. It is home to 0.75% of people living in the state.
297K
population of Merced County, CA (2024)
0.75%
County share of the California population (2024)
About 296,800 people lived in Merced County, CA in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Merced County, CA’s age demographics?
About 35,800 Merced County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 12% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 16.6% of California’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 82,600 Merced County residents, or 27.8% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 21.4% of California’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Merced County, CA's population is aged under 18 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Merced County, CA’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Hispanic residents make up 64.6% of the Merced County, CA population, higher than the national share of 20%. Merced County, CA also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Asian (7.5%) than the US overall (6.5%).
In contrast, Merced County’s non-Hispanic white population accounts for 22.5%, below the 57.5% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 2.9% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Merced County, CA has a higher share of a Hispanic population than California as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Merced County, CA is Merced with about 96,100 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Merced County, CA ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Merced | 96,073 |
| 2. | Los Banos | 48,684 |
| 3. | Atwater | 32,248 |
| 4. | Livingston | 14,767 |
| 5. | Gustine | 6,138 |
| 6. | Dos Palos | 5,759 |
| 7. | Balance of Merced County | 93,105 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
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.
