Section 6. Community Profile

A Brief History 

Merced County is located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley (also known as the Central Valley) of California.

Merced County derives its name from the Merced River, or El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Mercedes (River of Our Lady of Mercy). This was the name given to the river by Spanish Lieutenant-General Gabriel Moraga during an expedition of the San Joaquin Valley in 1806. For centuries prior to the 19th century Spanish and Mexican settlements, in what would later become known as Merced County, nomadic Penutian-speaking Northern Valley Yokuts Indians inhabited the land.

With the arrival of the Spanish, the Yokuts were forcibly relocated to missions, and their population drastically decreased due to genocide, forced displacement, and disease. An outbreak of malaria in 1833 reduced the population by 75%. Descendants of the Yokuts Indian tribes still live in Merced County to this day. European settlement of the area began with four Mexican land grants in the 1840s, and accelerated with the discovery of gold in California shortly thereafter.

In 1855, the California State Legislature formed Merced County out of the southwestern portion of Mariposa County. The approximately 500 residents at that time elected their first county officers and selected their first county seat, which was on a ranch on Mariposa Creek. In 1856, the town of Snelling was named the county seat, and the first Merced County courthouse was built in Snelling in 1857. The courthouse is still there, and is now a California historical landmark. Over time, the new and fast-growing city of Merced campaigned to become the new location for the county seat, which it was awarded as part of a special election in 1872.

As the Gold Rush dwindled, many people turned their efforts to agriculture. The Central Pacific Railroad was built in Merced County in 1872, providing connections to markets in the north and south, and, farther afield, in the east. By 1874 much of the county was under crop cultivation, with wheat a major crop, and herds of cattle occupying the uncultivated grasslands. 

Reservoirs were constructed to control flooding, and to provide water during the dry season through an extensive irrigation system. Over 80 percent of land in the county continues to be classified “farmland” to the present time.

Merced County Today

The City of Merced is still the county seat and is the largest of six incorporated cities, which also include Atwater, Dos Palos, Gustine, Livingston, and Los Banos. There are also eleven urban, unincorporated communities, including Castle, Delhi, Franklin/Beachwood, Fox Hills, Hilmar, Le Grand, Planada, Santa Nella, Snelling, University Community, Villages of Laguna San Luis, and Winton.

County and City municipalities are a major source of employment along with agriculture-related industries, retail, manufacturing, food processing and tourism. Merced County has an excellent school system including a modern community college, Merced College, and the University of California’s tenth campus, University of California (UC), Merced, which is the first research university built in the U.S. in the 21st century. UC Merced has created a strong, collaborative educational network that fulfills the University's historic commitment to excellence in teaching, research and public service.  

With an exceptional central location in the state, coupled with train, bus, and air services, county residents are only two hours from San Francisco, Monterey, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. The community is served by Amtrak rail passenger service; by four airports (Merced Regional Airport, Castle Airport, Gustine Airport and Los Banos Municipal Airport); by The Bus, which provides local service in Merced as well as connecting service between most cities in Merced County; CatTracks, which is operated by the University of California, Merced; YARTS, which is the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System connecting Merced with Yosemite National Park; and Greyhound buses. Residents and visitors to Merced County enjoy a variety of recreational activities including the historic Castle Air Museum as well as lakes, reservoirs and wildlife wetlands. 

Age & Disability-Friendly Resources 

Merced County is also home to a number of experienced agencies and facilities serving older adults and people with disabilities. There are dedicated gathering spaces, such as the Merced Senior Community Center and the Los Banos Community Center, where residents can engage in a variety of social and recreational activities. Local agencies supporting residents with different types of disabilities include the Center of Vision Enhancement (COVE), Central Valley Regional Center, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Center, and Resources for Independence Central Valley. 

Senior serving and caregiving resources include Merced County Area Agency on Aging, Central Valley Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Valley Caregiver Resource Center, the Merced County Food Bank, Central California Legal Services, and the Merced County Veterans Service Office, among others.

Why Focus on Older Adults and People with Disabilities?

There are many similarities in the services and supports older adults and people with disabilities need to live independently and participate in community. Both groups may require assistance with daily living tasks, transportation, housing, healthcare, and financial support, making it efficient and effective to address these needs through integrated planning efforts such as this Action Plan.

Increasingly, aging and disability networks are working together at the state and local levels. Together, the communities have a larger voice and are more successful advocates than any of the networks on their own. At the same time, diverse aging and disability-specific networks retain the unique elements of their individual missions.

It is important to recognize that, while many issues affect both people with disabilities and older adults, there also are issues that affect only older adults, or only people with disabilities. For this reason, Age & Disability-Friendly Merced County will continue to develop and manage projects and advocate for the individual populations as well.

Older Adults in Merced County

For service eligibility purposes, Merced County defines an older adult as a person aged 60 years and older. According to the California Department of Aging (CDA), in 2020, Merced County was home to 42,584 residents aged 60 years and older, or 15.1% of the total population. 

By 2030, CDA projects this segment of the population to grow to 52,641, an increase of 23.6% in only ten years (up to 17.9% of the total population). By 2060, Merced County is projected to have 80,029 residents aged 60 years and older, an increase of 87.9% from 2020 (up to 24.4% of the total population, or roughly 1 in 4 residents).

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, this significant demographic shift that started in the early 2000s and will continue for several more decades is due to several key factors: the aging of the baby boom generation, increased longevity, and the long-term effects of past immigration patterns.

In Merced County, the population of Hispanic or Latino adults will increase more quickly over time, compared to non-Hispanic or Latino older adults. By 2030, Hispanic or Latino residents aged 60 years and older will have grown by 43.4% since 2020, compared to only 1.8% growth for White, non-Hispanic or Latino older adults and no growth among other races and ethnicities. By 2060, Hispanic or Latino residents are projected to comprise 69.0% of the over 60 years old population, compared to 46.2% in 2020.

According to 2019-2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, Merced County's population of adults aged 60+ comprises a smaller percentage of the overall population than it does in California or the United States as a whole (see Summary Data Table 1 below). In addition to being relatively smaller, the county's 60+ population has some notable demographic differences compared to the state and national level.

Residents with Disabilities in Merced County

The disabled population in California is projected to grow along with growth in the older adult population. Disability rates tend to increase as people age due to medical conditions, injuries, and unequal access to necessary resources. According to 2019-2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, in 2023, the percentage of Merced County residents under 18 years of age with a disability was 5.9%, increasing to 10.5% of residents 18 to 64 years old, 25.9% of residents 65 to 74 years old, and 58.4% of residents aged 75 years and older. These data follow a similar trend at the state and national level; however, Merced County residents aged 75 and older may be more likely to have a disability than their counterparts aged 75+ in the U.S. overall.

In 2023, an estimated 12.8% of Merced County’s population (or, 36,323 residents) had a disability (see Summary Data Table 2 below). This is greater than the percentage at the state level (11.3%) and on par with the percentage at the national level (13.0%). The most commonly reported disabilities are mobility or walking difficulties (an estimated 18,601 residents), cognitive difficulties (15,124), and independent living difficulties (12,893).

More so than any other disability, the prevalence of reported hearing difficulties increases with age (57.6% of all cases are among residents aged 65 years and older).

Merced County's growing aging and disability populations present important opportunities to revisit how we design our communities, including how we provide healthcare, social services, and infrastructure. Furthermore, these demographic trends create a strong imperative for us to engage, learn from, listen to, and follow the leadership of older and disabled community members.

Summary Data Tables

In tablet and mobile view, click on the tables below to scroll through the data.

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