Demographics · CA
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).
91,953people live in Merced, at a median age of 30.0 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
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
The median age in Merced is 30.0 years (±0.7), younger than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 49.9% male and 50.1% female. The largest age band is 5 to 17 at 22.2%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 7,112 | 7.7% | ±653 |
| 5 to 17 | 20,398 | 22.2% | ±1,060 |
| 18 to 24 | 10,684 | 11.6% | ±856 |
| 25 to 34 | 15,404 | 16.8% | ±885 |
| 35 to 44 | 11,034 | 12.0% | ±801 |
| 45 to 54 | 9,082 | 9.9% | ±598 |
| 55 to 64 | 8,694 | 9.5% | ±730 |
| 65 to 74 | 5,819 | 6.3% | ±556 |
| 75 and over | 3,726 | 4.1% | ±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
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.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 26,534 | 28.9% | ±1,769 |
| Black or African American alone | 4,633 | 5.0% | ±633 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 771 | 0.8% | ±311 |
| Asian alone | 8,807 | 9.6% | ±825 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 450 | 0.5% | ±307 · low precision |
| Some other race alone | 36,028 | 39.2% | ±2,358 |
| Two or more races | 14,730 | 16.0% | ±1,708 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 55,300 | 60.1% | ±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
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%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
22.1%
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
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% | 20,308 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 53.1% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 37.9% | 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
20.2% of adults age 25 and over in Merced hold a bachelor's degree or higher (the U.S. share is about 35%).
| 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 →
Sources · provenance
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/.