Merced County · California · West · 92k residents
Merced, CA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Merced: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the California median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,093/wk. California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%. Commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh.
Compare Merced side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,093/wk
Corporate income tax
8.84%
Bachelor's degree or higher
20.2%
Commercial electricity
25.5¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Merced's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
72/100
Heating
Ranks Merced's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $372,600 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $470 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,144/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,315/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 8.8% |
| Corporate income tax | 8.84% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,093/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.2% |
| Commercial electricity | 25.5¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 30.6/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $132,120 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $131,620 |
| Wage: General manager | $94,990 |
| Wage: Customer service | $45,670 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $38,080 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $55,630 |
| Wage: Electrician | $76,120 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $37,740 |
| Cost of living index | 107 |
| Groceries index | 112 |
| Utilities | $245/mo |
| Transit pass | $90/mo |
| Gas price | $4.80/gal |
| Healthcare index | 108 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,450/mo |
| Median household income | $63,122 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% |
| Population | 92k |
| Crime index | 52/100 |
| School rating | 5.5/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 97/100 |
| Avg. commute | 29 min |
| Sunny days / year | 260 days |
| July high | 96°F |
| January low | 37°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | -1.5% |
| Home price MoM | -0.2% |
| Rent YoY | +2.6% |
| Rent MoM | +0.2% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +0.8% |
| Building permits YoY | +45.6% |
| Ocean coast | 89 mi |
| Big lake | 103 mi |
| Mountains | 60 mi |
| Major airport | 54 mi |
| Ski resort | 82 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Turlock, CA · 73k
- Los Banos, CA · 48k
- Ceres, CA · 49k
- Modesto, CA · 219k
- Madera, CA · 68k
Similar size
- Indio, CA · 92k
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Real listings in Merced
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Merced a good place to run a business?
- California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,093/wk; commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Merced, CA?
- Merced indexes at 107 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,315/mo and a acs median home value of $372,600.
- How much does a house cost in Merced?
- The acs median home value in Merced is $372,600 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Merced?
- A two-bedroom in Merced rents for about $1,315/mo.