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. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Merced County's score
In Merced County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 93.7. Housing costs come next, at 88.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Merced County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year9.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202699th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.3% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 88.9 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.5% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.9% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 67.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.3% · second quarter of 202664th percentile
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- 57.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.4% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.0% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability12.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,325 · 202454th 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: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Merced County comes from
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 that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Merced County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Merced County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Merced County, California, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Merced County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.9% in 2010 to 15.1% in 2011.
The share of households in Merced County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21.0%
High on the chart: 21.0% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Merced County, California.
How Merced County has changed
Merced County's population had its largest rise, from 206,734 in 1999 to 237,180 in 2004.
Merced County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 296,774, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 206,734. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Merced County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Merced County rose by about half to 85,663, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 76,158. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Merced County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.8% | 2025 10.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.2% | 2024 18.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,032 | 2024 $65,325 |
The table uses 10.2% for 2025; the score uses 9.5% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Merced County's history
1855
Formed in 1855 from parts of Mariposa County; parts of territory given to Fresno County in 1856. Wikipedia
1998
Heavy rain in February 1998 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flash flood in March 1998 did $9.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in April 2006 did $9.72 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 281,202, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in January 2023 did $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
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 | 86 | 18.4% | 28.5% |
| Fresno County, CA | 83 | 18.2% | 27.2% |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 81 | 14.2% | 25.1% |
| Madera County, CA | 81 | 17.7% | 24.6% |
| Mariposa County, CA | 58 | 15.1% | 28.4% |
| San Benito County, CA | 45 | 8.7% | 15.5% |
| Santa Clara County, CA | 12 | 7.1% | 7.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Merced County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Central California Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- 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.