Merced County, California

Merced County is located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 255,793. The county derives its name from the Merced River, or El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced, named in 1806.

About Merced County, California in brief

Summary Merced County, CaliforniaMerced County is located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 255,793. The county derives its name from the Merced River, or El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced, named in 1806 by an expedition headed by Gabriel Moraga. Merced County was formed in 1855 from parts of Mariposa County, and parts of its territory were given to Fresno County in 1856. It is located north of Fresno County and Fresno, and southeast of Santa Clara County and San Jose. The Merced, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area is included in the Modesto-Merced,CA Combined Statistical Area.

It has a total area of 1,979 square miles, of which 1, 935 square miles is land and 44 square miles is water. The median income for a household in the county was USD 38,009, and the median income for a family was USD 31,911. About 8,000 Hmong lived in Merced in 2008, according to the Lao Family Community, a nonprofit organization, a Hmong-American social enterprise. The average household size was 3.25 and the average family size was3.69. The per capita income for the county is USD 14,257, and about 9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28% of those under 18 and 10% ofThose over 65.