Demographics · CA

Merced, CA demographics.

Merced, CA demographics: 91,953 residents, with a median age of 30.0 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).

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91,953people are estimated in Merced, at a median age of 30.0 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024 period estimate)

Median age 30.0 years — younger than the U.S. median of 38.9.

ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)

In Merced, the largest race group is Some other race (39.2%); 60.1% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 22.1% were born outside the United States.

ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002

How old is Merced?

The estimated median age in Merced is 30.0 years (±0.7), compared with the U.S. estimate of 38.9 ± 0.1 years. These are descriptive comparisons, not significance tests. The population is 49.9% ± 1.1 percentage points male and 50.1% ± 1.1 percentage points female. The largest age band is 5 to 17 at 22.2%.

Under 5

7.7%

5 to 17

22.2%

18 to 24

11.6%

25 to 34

16.8%

35 to 44

12.0%

45 to 54

9.9%

55 to 64

9.5%

65 to 74

6.3%

75 and over

4.1%

Age band	People	Share	± margin
Under 5	7,112	7.7% ± 0.7 percentage points	±653
5 to 17	20,398	22.2% ± 1.2 percentage points	±1,060
18 to 24	10,684	11.6% ± 0.9 percentage points	±856
25 to 34	15,404	16.8% ± 1.0 percentage points	±885
35 to 44	11,034	12.0% ± 0.9 percentage points	±801
45 to 54	9,082	9.9% ± 0.7 percentage points	±598
55 to 64	8,694	9.5% ± 0.8 percentage points	±730
65 to 74	5,819	6.3% ± 0.6 percentage points	±556
75 and over	3,726	4.1% ± 0.5 percentage points	±430

Median age by sex: 29.1 (male) · 30.9 (female).

Shares may not sum to 100% due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →

ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merced?

The largest race group in Merced is Some other race at 39.2% of the population. Separately, 60.1% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race.Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.

White alone

28.9%

Black or African American alone

5.0%

American Indian & Alaska Native alone

0.8%

Asian alone

9.6%

Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone

0.5%

Some other race alone

39.2%

Two or more races

16.0%

Race (alone, or two or more)	People	Share	± margin
White alone	26,534	28.9% ± 1.9 percentage points	±1,769
Black or African American alone	4,633	5.0% ± 0.7 percentage points	±633
American Indian & Alaska Native alone	771	0.8% ± 0.3 percentage points	±311
Asian alone	8,807	9.6% ± 0.9 percentage points	±825
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone	450	0.5% ± 0.3 percentage points	±307 · low precision
Some other race alone	36,028	39.2% ± 2.6 percentage points	±2,358
Two or more races	14,730	16.0% ± 1.9 percentage points	±1,708
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	55,300	60.1% ± 1.9 percentage points	±1,706

Race shares may not sum to 100% due to rounding; race and Hispanic origin are separate questions and are not additive. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →

ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010

How many households are in Merced?

Merced has 27,950 households. 71.4% are family households and 22.1% are people living alone. The average household holds 3.25 people.

Total households

27,950

ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001

Avg household size

3.25

ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.09

Family households

71.4% ± 1.1 percentage points

Share of all households · B11001

Living alone

22.1% ± 2.0 percentage points

Share of all households · B11001

Household type	Households	± margin
Total households	27,950	±761
Family households	19,944	±625
Nonfamily households	8,006	±692
Householder living alone	6,163	±585

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →

ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001

Where are Merced residents from?

22.1% of Merced residents were born outside the United States. 53.1% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (37.9%).

Measure	Value	Source / grain
Foreign-born share	22.1% ± 1.2 percentage points	20,308 people · B05002
Speak only English at home (age 5+)	53.1% ± 2.2 percentage points	C16001
Top non-English language at home	37.9% ± 2.1 percentage points	Spanish · 32,139 speakers · C16001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →

ACS 2020–2024 · B15003

What share of Merced has a college degree?

20.2% ± 1.4 percentage points of adults age 25 and over in Merced hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The U.S. estimate is 35.7%.

Measure	Value	Source / grain
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	20.2%	B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →

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Sources · provenance

Datasets on this page.

The GEOID for Merced is 0646898. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.