296,774 people (2024 Census estimate, +4.9% since 2020)
1,938 square miles of land · 153 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
22 active community water systems list Merced County in the area they serve, reporting 242,181 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CITY OF MERCED groundwater · local government · CA2410009 | 96,073 served |
| CITY OF LOS BANOS groundwater · local government · CA2410005 | 48,896 served |
| CITY OF ATWATER groundwater · local government · CA2410001 | 29,479 served |
| CITY OF LIVINGSTON groundwater · local government · CA2410004 | 14,894 served |
| WINTON WATER & SANITARY DIST groundwater · local government · CA2410010 | 9,745 served |
| DELHI CWD groundwater · local government · CA2410006 | 7,784 served |
| CITY OF DOS PALOS surface water · local government · CA2410002 | 7,452 served |
| CITY OF GUSTINE groundwater · local government · CA2410003 | 6,138 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 238 people were held in Merced County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 581.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
21 school districts have their office in Merced County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $235.6 million — $186.1 million to run schools, about $16,578 per student, plus $36.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $49.8 million local (mostly property tax), $183.5 million state, $37.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $159.9 million.
Spent $199.1 million — $180.6 million to run schools, about $16,392 per student, plus $12.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $37.8 million local (mostly property tax), $179.7 million state, $21.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $84.7 million.
Spent $199.2 million — $166.6 million to run schools, about $15,186 per student, plus $26.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $28.2 million local (mostly property tax), $186 million state, $40 million federal. Long-term debt: $63.5 million.
Spent $107.8 million — $75.8 million to run schools, about $15,365 per student, plus $28.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $9.6 million local (mostly property tax), $87.5 million state, $14.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $26.4 million.
Spent $55.9 million — $51.2 million to run schools, about $16,359 per student, plus $2.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $7.7 million local (mostly property tax), $53.4 million state, $8.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $26.1 million.
Spent $45.9 million — $41.3 million to run schools, about $16,497 per student, plus $3.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $6.8 million local (mostly property tax), $45.7 million state, $8.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $8 million.
Spent $49.6 million — $45.7 million to run schools, about $19,087 per student, plus $2.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $5.7 million local (mostly property tax), $47.7 million state, $8.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $18.2 million.
Spent $55.5 million — $35.7 million to run schools, about $15,436 per student, plus $18.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $11.2 million local (mostly property tax), $30 million state, $3.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $15.3 million.
And 13 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Merced County about $204.8 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
532 bridges in Merced County: 195 in good condition, 314 fair, and 23 poor (4.3%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| STATE ROUTE 99 SB over BLACK RASCAL CANAL · built 1964 | 25,500 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 99 NB over BLACK RASCAL CANAL · built 1962 | 25,500 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 99 SB over BEAR CREEK · built 1962 | 25,500 vehicles a day |
| BUHACH ROAD over LIVINGSTON CANAL · built 1965 | 9,555 vehicles a day |
| APPLEGATE ROAD over STATE ROUTE 99 & RAMPS · built 1957 | 9,220 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 152 WB over FRESNO RIVER · built 1969 | 8,425 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $131.5 million of work in Merced County in fiscal 2025, about $467 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Ballots mailed; drop boxes open: 2026-10-05. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-19. Early in-person voting: 2026-10-24 to 2026-11-03. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-10.
Source: California Secretary of State — Nov. 3, 2026 key dates · California Official Voter Information Guide — dates to remember · California Secretary of State — make a plan to vote
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Merced County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Merced County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of California: the state government and every county in California.
Nearby counties: Stanislaus County (30 mi) · San Benito County (45 mi) · Mariposa County (52 mi) · Santa Clara County (53 mi) · Madera County (53 mi) · San Joaquin County (59 mi).