Unemployment in Merced County, California, is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Merced County, 9.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Merced County's score
In Merced County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 93.7. Unemployment averaged 9.5%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 99% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 88.9.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Merced County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.5%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (124.7, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Merced County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 93.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.3% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average9.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202699th percentile
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- 88.9 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.9% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.5% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 70.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.9% · Q4 202574th percentile
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- 57.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line24.0% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability12.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,325 · 202454th percentile
- People below the poverty line18.4% · 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 51.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.3% · August 202554th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people124.7 · 202549th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Aug 2026.
Where the money in Merced County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Merced County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Merced County in 2024, pay from work was 60 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 29 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Merced County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 29 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Merced County, California: 28.5% and 59.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 28.5% of all personal income in Merced County, California (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Merced County, 11.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Merced County has changed
The number of people living in Merced County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 101,255 to 296,774. The number of jobs located there grew by about 50% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 12.8% in 1990 to 10.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 101,255 | 2024 296,774 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 56,613 | 2024 84,952 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.8% | 2025 10.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.2% | 2024 18.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $25,032 | 2024 $65,325 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.5% | 2024 28.5% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Merced County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 281,202, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1855
Formed in 1855 from parts of Mariposa County; parts of territory given to Fresno County in 1856. Wikipedia
1998
Heavy rain: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Flash flood: $9.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Flood: $9.72 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Flood: $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Merced County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Merced County beside its neighbors
Merced County scores higher than all six counties that border it. Of the group, Merced County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (28.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced County, CA | 87 | 18.4% | 28.5% |
| Fresno County, CA | 84 | 18.2% | 27.2% |
| Madera County, CA | 82 | 17.7% | 24.6% |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 82 | 14.2% | 25.1% |
| Mariposa County, CA | 57 | 15.1% | 28.4% |
| San Benito County, CA | 47 | 8.7% | 15.5% |
| Santa Clara County, CA | 12 | 7.1% | 7.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Merced County the poorest county in California?
No, Merced County's poverty rate was 18.4% in 2024, 8th highest of 58 in California (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Trinity County, at 23.0%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Merced County ranks 4th of 58 in the state.
Merced County in photographs
Places in Merced County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Merced Water Tower in Merced, California.
Merced County, California: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Merced County, California?
18.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 24.0%.
Is Merced County the poorest county in California?
No, Merced County's poverty rate was 18.4% in 2024, 8th highest of 58 in California (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Trinity County, at 23.0%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Merced County ranks 4th of 58 in the state.
What is the population of Merced County, California?
About 296,774 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 281,202, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Merced County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Merced County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Merced County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.