County outline
Where Merced County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 97.9% of Merced County’s measured area and water for 2.1%. Its combined area converts to 5,124.7 square kilometers or approximately 1,266,337 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,938.02 | 5,019.449 | 1,240,332.8 |
| Water | 40.632 | 105.236 | 26,004.5 |
| Total | 1,978.652 | 5,124.685 | 1,266,337.3 |
How Merced County compares
By original Census land area, Merced County ranks #25 of 58 in California and #293 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.262 times the California county-equivalent median of 1,535.7 square miles. It accounts for 1.2% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete California ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Merced County
The Census Bureau estimates that 297,260 people lived in Merced County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #251 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #23 of 58 in California. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 282,457, the population has grown by 14,803 (+5.2%), compared with −0.5% for California as a whole.
With 1,938 square miles of land, that is 153 people per square mile (59 per km²), placing Merced County #766 nationally for density and #24 in California. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the California median is 112. Put another way, there are about 4.2 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 282,895 | 287,854 | 291,781 | 294,319 | 296,807 | 297,260 |
| Change | — | +4,959 | +3,927 | +2,538 | +2,488 | +453 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Merced County
6 incorporated places lie at least partly in Merced County. Together they are home to 207,970 people (70%); the other 89,290 (30%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Merced city, with 99,724 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Merced city grew fastest since then (+11%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced cityCounty seat | 99,724 | +11% | 26 |
| Los Banos city | 49,614 | +8.8% | 10.5 |
| Atwater city | 32,133 | +0.6% | 6.579 |
| Livingston city | 14,690 | +3.9% | 3.675 |
| Gustine city | 6,112 | −0.6% | 1.761 |
| Dos Palos city | 5,697 | −1.3% | 1.34 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Merced County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Merced County is a central county of the Merced, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Merced County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 1,938 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #162 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #175 by population. It belongs to the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
24 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Merced County; 19 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
936109362093622936359366595301953039531295315953169531795322953249533395334953409534195348953609536595369953749538095388
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Merced County
Merced County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Fresno County (5,958.6 mi²) and the smallest is Santa Clara County (1,291.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Merced County forms a block of 15,658 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Merced | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno County | 5,958.6 | 3.1× larger | Compare |
| Madera County | 2,136.7 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Stanislaus County | 1,496.2 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Mariposa County | 1,448.8 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| San Benito County | 1,388.7 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Santa Clara County | 1,291.1 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Merced County compared with U.S. states?
Merced County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.9 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). California’s county land could hold about 80 areas the size of Merced County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 44 miles (70.8 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Merced County?
Merced County has more land than 2,929 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Merced County at #323 nationally by total area, 30 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 2.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.9 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Merced County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #292 | Ziebach County, South Dakota | 1,961.2 | Compare |
| #293 | Merced County, California | 1,938 | This county |
| #294 | Mora County, New Mexico | 1,926.3 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 37.193907, -120.721466. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 5,019,448,494 m²; AWATER: 105,236,252 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Merced County?
Merced County, California has 1,938 square miles (5,019.4 km²) of land and 40.6 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,978.7 square miles. It ranks #293 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Merced County the largest county in California?
No. Merced County ranks #25 of 58 in California by land area. The largest is San Bernardino County, with 20,068.4 square miles of land.
What counties border Merced County?
Merced County shares a land border with Stanislaus County, Mariposa County, Fresno County, Madera County, San Benito County, and Santa Clara County.
What is the population of Merced County?
The Census Bureau estimates Merced County had 297,260 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #251 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 153 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Merced County?
The county seat of Merced County is Merced.
What cities and towns are in Merced County?
Merced County has 6 incorporated places. The most populous five are Merced city, Los Banos city, Atwater city, Livingston city, and Gustine city; 89,290 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Merced County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Merced, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Merced County?
24 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Merced County, and 19 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Merced County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 1 of the 50 states, including Rhode Island (1,033.9 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Merced County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 1,240,333 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 1,266,337 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.