HomeCaliforniaMerced County
Merced County, California: commercial real estate data.
Merced County, California has a population of 290,201 across 1,935 square miles, up 5.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $13.28 bn in 2024, 3,592 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 146 7(a) approvals worth $130.8 m.
127 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Merced County
How many people live in Merced County
- Population290,201
- Households86,055
- Average household size3.37
- Median household income$65,510
- Median age31.8
- Median gross rent$1,343 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$391,800
- Home value to household income6.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income24.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree4.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over174,127
- Population under 1883,330
- Share under 1828.7 percent
- Population 65 and over34,001
- Share 65 and over11.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64172,870
- Civilian labor force128,465
- Unemployment rate10.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.1 percent
- Rank by population among California counties23rd of 58
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents248th
Merced County is the 23rd largest of 58 California counties by population. A median home costs 6.0 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 28.7 percent against 11.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Merced County
Is Merced County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base5.07 percent
- Census 2020 base population282,447
- Births, 20243,651
- Deaths, 20242,154
- Natural change, 20241,497
- Net domestic migration, 2024-902
- Net international migration, 20241,758
- Total net migration, 2024856
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20242,888
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents518th
The county has grown 5.07 percent since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Merced County
Where people moving to Merced County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving5,411
- People arriving, from those returns11,073
- Adjusted gross income arriving$291.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$53,930
- Largest single originMerced County Non-migrants (96,257 households)
- Largest single destination (96,257 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced County Non-migrants | 96,257 | 216,943 | $5.79 bn |
| Stanislaus County | 1,244 | 2,613 | $59.7 m |
| Santa Clara County | 825 | 1,875 | $58.0 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 709 | 1,310 | $33.8 m |
| Other flows - West | 305 | 547 | $14.6 m |
| Fresno County | 270 | 500 | $11.6 m |
| San Joaquin County | 269 | 575 | $16.6 m |
| Other flows - South | 232 | 445 | $9.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Merced County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Merced County
What the Merced County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$13.28 bn
- County GDP, 2023$12.16 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20249.2 percent
- GDP change over five years38.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among California counties28th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents355th
- GDP per resident$45,769
Output grew 9.2 percent in the latest year and 38.0 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Merced County
Who employs people in Merced County
- Covered employment, annual average84,952
- Establishments reporting8,584
- Average annual pay$54,952
- Average weekly wage$1,057
- Sector 62, employment11,851
- Sector 62, average annual pay$51,004
- Sector 31-33, employment9,221
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$65,145
- Sector 44-45, employment8,528
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$37,581
- Sector 72, employment6,261
- Sector 72, average annual pay$26,465
- Sector 23, employment3,358
- Sector 48-49, employment2,934
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 11,851 | 4,467 | $51,004 |
| Sector 31-33 | 9,221 | 169 | $65,145 |
| Sector 44-45 | 8,528 | 561 | $37,581 |
| Sector 72 | 6,261 | 408 | $26,465 |
| Sector 23 | 3,358 | 445 | $61,299 |
| Sector 48-49 | 2,934 | 362 | $56,503 |
| Sector 81 | 2,160 | 285 | $44,783 |
| Sector 56 | 1,647 | 189 | $40,698 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 11,851 jobs, 14.0 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Merced County
What businesses operate in Merced County
- Establishments, all industries3,592
- Employment at those establishments49,545
- Annual payroll$2.45 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents12.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Merced County
What is being built in Merced County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024520
- Declared construction value permitted$161.3 m
- Single family units authorised517
- Multifamily units authorised3
- Multifamily share of units0.6 percent
- Average declared value per unit$310,279
- Units authorised per 1,000 households6.0
Multifamily is 0.6 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Merced County
How much SBA lending happens in Merced County
- 7(a) approvals recorded146
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$130.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$895,883
- Median 7(a) approval$350,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,435,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,521
- Jobs per approval10.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active46
- Distinct industries receiving approvals73
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer35.6 percent
- Loans on real estate terms52
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter83
- Franchise loans20
- Franchise share of approvals13.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (10)
- Most active lenderCeltic Bank Corporation (19)
- 504 approvals recorded75
- 504 gross approval dollars$79.9 m
- Average 504 approval$1,065,653
- Median 504 approval$547,000
- Distinct CDCs active13
- 504 jobs per approval9.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved9.0
- Most active CDCMortgage Capital Development Corporation (19)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals66.1 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$210.7 m
The average approval of $895,883 sits well above the median of $350,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. 35.6 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Merced County
Do SBA loans in Merced County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded23
- Paid in full23
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full23
- Status: Exempt from disclosure98
- Status: Cancelled16
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed9
Of the 23 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Merced County
Which parts of Merced County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending17
- Merced, approvals58
- LOS BANOS, approvals27
- Atwater, approvals17
- LIVINGSTON, approvals10
- GUSTINE, approvals7
- Planada, approvals6
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Merced | 58 | $43,798,700 |
| LOS BANOS | 27 | $27,519,000 |
| Atwater | 17 | $17,513,800 |
| LIVINGSTON | 10 | $13,833,000 |
| GUSTINE | 7 | $3,667,800 |
| Planada | 6 | $8,079,000 |
| DOS PALOS | 4 | $2,930,000 |
| HILMAR | 3 | $1,661,000 |
Merced accounts for 58 approvals against 27 in LOS BANOS. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Merced County
How big is Merced County
- Land area1,935 sq mi
- Rank by land area among California counties25th of 58
- Width, east to west64.8 mi
- Height, north to south61.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land150
- Establishments per square mile1.86
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Merced County
What hazards affect Merced County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book7
- Of those, participating in the NFIP6
- NFIP participation rate85.7 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Merced County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Merced County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population290,201
- Households86,055
- Average household size3.37
- Median household income$65,510
- Median age31.8
Common questions
Merced County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Merced County, California?
290,201, in 86,055 households, ranking 23rd of 58 California counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Merced County growing?
The population has grown 5.07 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 3,651 births against 2,154 deaths, with net migration of 856. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Merced County?
$65,510. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $391,800, which is 6.0 times income, and median gross rent is $1,343 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Merced County?
3,592 establishments, employing 49,545 people with an annual payroll of $2.45 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Merced County?
Average annual pay is $54,952, or $1,057 a week, across 84,952 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Merced County?
146 7(a) approvals totalling $130.8 m since FY2020, across 46 lenders, with a median approval of $350,000, plus 75 504 approvals worth $79.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Merced County get paid back?
Of the 23 loans that have reached a final outcome, 23 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Merced County?
520 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $161.3 m. Multifamily was 0.6 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Merced County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Merced County come from?
The largest single origin is Merced County Non-migrants, with 96,257 households. Arriving households report an average income of $53,930 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Merced County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Merced County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.