Why look at Merced?
- Moderately priced housing. Median home is $397k.
- Stable market. Home values -1.5% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
- Higher tax state. Top marginal income tax rate around 13.3% — factor into salary comparisons.
Where Merced stands
Population growing 2.7% per year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 17.9 price-to-rent ratio, Merced is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →About Merced (Wikipedia)
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.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Merced County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Merced County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Run the numbers for Merced
California context
Schools
Merced is served by 37 public schools enrolling about 22,334 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 22.6:1 — larger classes than the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.
Ratings, districts & boundaries:
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Merced listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news in Merced
4 from local press- ‘Largest floating inflatable water park’ reopens near Merced. What’s new in 2026LOCALMerced Sun-Star1w ago
- Sound and Vision: UC Merced graduates celebrate 2026 commencement, next life chapterLOCALThe Merced FOCUS1w ago
- Local Owners Saying Goodbye To ‘Parthenon’ HouseLOCALMerced County Times5d ago
- Maribelle Elie RODUNERLOCALThe Press Democrat3d ago
- Breaking: Volta Fire reported in Merced County on May 17Sacramento Bee1w ago
- Multiple people hospitalized following ejection crash in Merced County, CHP saysABC30 Fresno4d ago
What locals are saying
Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Merced-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Merced area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Find more cities like Merced
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Merced’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Merced →Cities similar to Merced
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
California: 499 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.
Getting here by train
Merced is served by an Amtrak train station — Amtrak Merced Station. Use the map to find it, and open its Google profile for photos, hours, and reviews.
Jobs & hiring
In Merced, unemployment runs higher at 11.3%, and hiring momentum has been modest. The strongest local sectors are skilled trades & manufacturing, hospitality & tourism and healthcare.
Search current openings: