Merced County, California

County Distress Index: Serious · 71.7 | 291,920 people · 2nd most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Merced County, CA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 71.7 — 137th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within California, it ranks 2nd of 58 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Merced County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 92.7 — worse than roughly 93% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 92.7
Unemployment Rate 99
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 87
Business Formation Rate 91
Housing Cost Burden 89.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 80
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 81
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 92
Homeownership Rate 97
Rent-to-Income Ratio 96
Income & Poverty 83.2
Poverty Rate 80
Income vs. State Median 97
Child Poverty Rate 72
Debt & Delinquency 52.9
Debt in Collections 54
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 71
Auto Loan Delinquency 57
Credit Card Delinquency 79
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 49
Community Vulnerability 40.6
Uninsured Rate 58
Disability Rate 23

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Merced County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Merced County
Merced County, CA 71.7 Serious —
Madera County, CA 69.8 Serious -2.0
Fresno County, CA 67.9 Serious -3.8
Mariposa County, CA 65.3 Serious -6.4
Stanislaus County, CA 59.5 Elevated -12.2
San Benito County, CA 47.0 Normal -24.7
Santa Clara County, CA 27.7 Healthy -44.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Merced County
El Paso County, TX 71.6 Serious -0.1
Clayton County, GA 71.5 Serious -0.2
Baltimore city, MD 71.5 Serious -0.2
Cameron County, TX 72.3 Serious +0.6
Hidalgo County, TX 72.4 Serious +0.7

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Merced County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Merced County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer 1-866-442-2529

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Merced County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) 1-800-399-4529
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA) 1-800-433-6251
Bay Area Legal Aid 1-800-551-5554
Legal Services of Northern California 1-800-822-9687
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) 1-800-337-0690
Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS) 1-888-245-4257
Legal Aid Society of San Diego 1-877-534-2524
Community Legal Aid SoCal 1-800-834-5001
California Indian Legal Services, Inc. (760) 746-8941
Central California Legal Services (800) 675-8001
Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. (661) 325-5943

Self-Help Resources

California Courts Self-Help — Foreclosure and Mortgage Help Official California courts self-help resource with information on foreclosure procedures, homeowner rights, tenant protections in foreclosure, and links to free legal help.
LawHelpCA — Foreclosure Prevention Statewide legal aid directory connecting Californians with free legal information and local legal aid providers for foreclosure prevention, including links to self-help guides and intake forms.
California Attorney General — Homeowner Bill of Rights Official AG page explaining HBOR protections, including fact sheets on dual-tracking prohibition, single point of contact, and how to file a complaint about servicer violations.
DFPI Mortgage Relief Resources DFPI consumer resources for housing and mortgage issues, including information on PACE financing, foreclosure scam alerts, and how to file complaints against licensees.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Merced County, California?

    Merced County has a County Distress Index score of 71.7 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 137th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 2nd in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Merced County?

    The primary driver of distress in Merced County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 92.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Merced County compare to neighboring counties?

    Merced County (71.7) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Madera County, CA (69.8); Fresno County, CA (67.9); Mariposa County, CA (65.3).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Merced County?

    Merced County, California has a population of approximately 291,920 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.