City in California, United States

Merced

$390kMedian Home
341Sunny Days/yr
78°FAvg High Temp
Loading Weather
View on MapPopulation82kCenter elevation171 ft
Quick Read

Hot season is intense, with most rain falls in winter. The hottest stretch is likely to shape daily routines. Rain is less frequent but tends to come in heavier bursts. The cool season tends to feel damp.

About Merced

Merced is a city in and the county seat of Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 86,333, up from 78,958 in 2010. Incorporated on April 1, 1889, Merced is a charter city that operates under a council–manager government. It is named after the Merced River, which flows nearby.Wikipedia

Intense hot seasonNo real winterWinter rain
Place

Where It Is

Location Context
Merced, California
Latitude37.30°
Longitude-120.48°
Population82k
Center elevation171 ft

State Context

CaliforniaU.S. state

California is a U.S. state in the Western United States that lies on the Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, and Nevada and Arizona to the east; it also shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. With over 39 million residents across an area of 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2), it is the largest U.S.Wikipedia

Income tax: 1.00% - 14.40%Avg sales tax: 8.85%Property tax: 0.69%Official school data available

About the Region

California

California contains multitudes in a way that makes any single characterization misleading. The Bay Area and Los Angeles operate as global city-states, with housing markets, income levels, and cultural gravity that put them in direct competition with London and Tokyo rather than with other American metros. Both have lost net domestic migrants to lower-cost states for most of the last decade — primarily to Texas, Arizona, and Nevada — though both also continue to be net draws for international migration and maintain labor markets of extraordinary depth and diversity.

But California's geography is vast. The Central Valley offers costs of living that rival the Midwest with driving distance to the Sierra Nevada; the North Coast is one of the most beautiful and least-crowded stretches of American coastline; and the smaller cities of the inland valleys represent genuinely different lifestyle profiles. For remote workers who can absorb the state income tax and housing cost, the combination of climate diversity, outdoor access, and cultural institution density remains difficult to replicate anywhere in the world.

Outdoors

Nature Access

Nature & Park Feeds

Closest protected landscapes, reserves, and big park systems surfaced from the same nearby feeds used in compare.

Distances in miles
National Park Service feed

Federal Park Sites

Loading nearby nature feeds...
OpenStreetMap feed

Local Nature & Reserves

Loading nearby nature feeds...
Sources: National Park Service and OpenStreetMap
People

City Profile

Median Age30 yrs
College Educated17%bachelor's or higher
Work From Home6%of workforce
Poverty Rate25%
Practical

Cost of Living

Housing
$2k/mo
Median rent
$390k
Median home price
Rent burden37% of income
Household Income
$59k
Median annual
Daily life

Livability

School Rating
5.5/10
Internet
No internet coverage data yet.
The year

Climate

Sunshine
341
sunny days per year
93% of the year
Avg High Temp
78°F
annual average
Humidity Pattern
Damp cool season
33% warm season / 79% cool season
Comfort Score
66/100
Good
Temp Swing
46°F
seasonal high-temp spread
Annual precipitation
17"
inches per year
Annual snowfall
0"
inches per year
Typical Air Quality
45
Good · 2024 modeled average
How To Read Comfort

Comfort combines temperature band fit, humidity fit, seasonal swing, and penalties for long stretches of extreme heat or cold. Higher scores mean the yearly pattern stays closer to an easier day-to-day climate band.

Monthly Temperature
Daylight Span (Sunrise to Sunset)
Precipitation Distribution
17" of precipitation per year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Humidity Through The Year
Hover any month for the exact RH value. This is measuring monthly relative humidity, not dew point or current weather.
damp cool season
Summer 33% · Winter 79% · Jul-Jan 29-82%
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Hover a month for exact RH and seasonal context.
Right now

Current Conditions

Local directory

Local Next Steps

Local Sponsored Directory

Useful local connections for a move to Merced

Housing, moving help, and everyday local businesses for people taking a serious look at Merced. Sponsored placements are clearly labeled and never influence the city data.

Featured local sponsorAD
Put your business at the top in Merced
Higher-visibility city-page placement for local businesses that want more presence than a standard directory listing.
Founding pricing is still available while this first featured slot is open.
Apartments & rentalsAD
Help people land in Merced
For apartment groups, rentals, furnished stays, and other housing options.
Moving & logisticsAD
Catch people at the practical moment
For movers, storage, shipping, car transport, and relocation logistics.
Local services & favoritesAD
Anything useful in Merced
Pizza joints, local lenders, insurers, cleaning services, coffee shops, and other everyday local businesses.
Next move

Keep Exploring

Common Comparisons

Observed compare data

Compare Merced with other cities

Stack it side-by-side against cities you're considering.

Quick Compare