Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA

Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA)

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2023 Population

117,768

0.717% 1-year growth

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2023 Median Age

32.9

1.86% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

15.5%

4.99% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$68,109

2.04% 1-year decline

2023 Median Property Value

$400,400

8.25% 1-year growth

2022 Employed Population

43,382

0.568% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA had a population of 118k people with a median age of 32.9 and a median household income of $68,109. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA grew from 116,930 to 117,768, a 0.717% increase and its median household income declined from $69,530 to $68,109, a −2.04% decrease.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA are Other (Hispanic) (41.1%), White (Non-Hispanic) (23.9%), White (Hispanic) (15.2%), Two+ (Hispanic) (9.2%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (4.52%).

57.3% of the households in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

81.9% of the residents in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA was $400,400, and the homeownership rate was 56.5%.

Most people in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 37 minutes. The average car ownership in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA was 2 cars per household.

Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA borders Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono & Tuolumne Counties PUMA, CA, Fresno County (West)--Selma, Kerman & Coalinga Cities PUMA, CA, Madera County--Madera City PUMA, CA, Merced County (Northeast)--Merced & Atwater Cities PUMA, CA, Monterey (South & East) & San Benito Counties PUMA, CA, Santa Clara County (East)--Gilroy, Morgan Hill & San Jose (South) Cities PUMA, CA, Stanislaus County (Southwest)--Ceres, Patterson & Newman Cities PUMA, CA, and Stanislaus County (Northeast)--Turlock, Riverbank, Oakdale & Waterford Cities PUMA, CA.

United States California

Population & Diversity

Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA is home to a population of 118k people, from which 81.9% are citizens. As of 2023, 31.3% of Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA residents were born outside of the country (36.9k people).

In 2023, there were 1.72 times more Other (Hispanic) residents (48.4k people) in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 28.1k White (Non-Hispanic) and 17.9k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

The most common non-English languages spoken as the primary langauge in households in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA are Spanish (53,807 households), Portuguese (3,769 households), and Punjabi (2,824 households).

Population & Diversity

Residents by Gender and Age

RACE/ETHNICITY

57,659

Women

49.3%

59,249

Men

50.7%

The resident population of United States in 2022 was 116,908 inhabitants, with 50.7% men, and 49.3% women.

The visualization shows the distribution of the residents by gender and age in the United States.

With the upper buttons you can add a filter by race.

Citizenship

81.9%

2023 Citizenship

81.8%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 81.9% of Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA was 81.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA

Other (Hispanic)
48.4k ± 3.1k
White (Non-Hispanic)
28.1k ± 1.52k
White (Hispanic)
17.9k ± 2.54k

67.8%

Hispanic Population

79.8k people

67.8% of the people in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA are hispanic (79.8k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

Most Common Origin

Mexico
26,642 ± 3,521 people
India
2,716 ± 1,265 people
Azores Islands
1,720 ± 1,011 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA was Mexico, the natal country of 26,642 Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA residents, followed by India with 2,716 and Azores Islands with 1,720.

Foreign-Born Population

31.3%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

36.9k people

31.4%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

36.7k people

As of 2023, 31.3% of Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA residents (36.9k people) were born outside of the United States, which is higher than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA was 31.4%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Non-English Households

Most Common Non-English Languages

Spanish
53,807 households (49.4%)
Portuguese
3,769 households (3.46%)
Punjabi
2,824 households (2.59%)

57.3% of the households in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language, which is higher than the national average of 22%. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

In 2023, the most common non-English language spoken in households in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA was Spanish. 49.4% of the households in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA reported speaking Spanish at home as the primary shared language between all members living in the household.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
990 ± 250
Gulf War (2001-)
440 ± 159
Gulf War (1990s)
327 ± 118

Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.25 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA employs 43.4k people. The largest industries in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA are Construction (4,200 people), Farming (3,071 people), and Restaurants & Food Services (2,665 people), and the highest paying industries are Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities ($125,473), Lessors of real estate, and offices of real estate agents and brokers ($90,510), and Legal services ($89,553).

Males in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA have an average income that is 1.3 times higher than the average income of females, which is $44,282. The income inequality in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA (measured using the Gini index) is 0.411, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Workforce Diversity

Measure

RACE/ETHNICITY

17,258

Women

41%

24,798

Men

59%

The workforce of Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA in 2020 was 42,056 people, with 41% woman, and 59% men.

The visualization shows the distribution of the workforce by gender and age in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA.

With the upper buttons you can see the distribution of the average salary and add a filter by race.

Occupations

43.4k

2022 Value

−0.568%

1 Year decline

± −0.568%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA declined at a rate of −0.568%, from 43.6k employees to 43.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA, are Miscellaneous agricultural workers, including animal breeders (3,982 people), Driver/sales workers & truck drivers (2,230 people), and Laborers & freight, stock, & material movers, hand (1,284 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in California (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

43.4k

2022 Value

−0.568%

1 Year decline

± −0.568%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA declined at a rate of −0.568%, from 43.6k employees to 43.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA, are Construction (4,200 people), Farming (3,071 people), and Restaurants & Food Services (2,665 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA, though some of these residents may live in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,847

Median earning men ± $1,741

$29,752

Median earning women ± $1,568

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Public Administration ($85,375), Information ($78,418), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,334).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,131), Public Administration ($45,357), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($38,750).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Y-Axis

2.57%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 17.9M people employed in California. This represents a 2.57% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in California.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing the state of California. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

California is currently represented by 52 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA. Showing the available data for California.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (58.5%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (38.3%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (1.25%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in California for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from California

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Alex Padilla

Senator from California

Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Kamala Harris, who had become Vice President of the United States.

Adam Schiff

Senator from California

Assumed office on December 8, 2024
Elected to the seat to succeed Laphonza Butler, who had been appointed to the seat following the death of Dianne Feinstein.

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing California.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in California over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from California

California is currently represented by 52 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for California have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Measure

In 2022, 3.69% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 3.18% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population of Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (25.8k), Primary Education (23.1k), and Secondary Education (19.6k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA was $400,400 in 2023, which is 1.32 times larger than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $369,900 to $400,400, a 8.25% increase. The homeownership rate in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA is 56.5%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA have an average commute time of 37 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA is $68,109. In 2023, the PUMA with the highest Median Household Income in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA was Santa Clara County (Southwest)--Cupertino, Saratoga Cities & Los Gatos Town PUMA, CA with a value of $229,111, followed by Santa Clara County (Northwest)--Palo Alto City & Los Altos Hills Town PUMA, CA and Contra Costa County (South)--San Ramon City & Danville Town PUMA, CA, with respective values of $210,275 and $208,750.

Housing

Property

$400,400

Median Property Value 2023

±$10,488

$19,322

Median Property Taxes

±$1,117

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

56.5%

Homeownership

2023

69.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 56.5% of the housing units in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 56.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

In 2023, the PUMA with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA was Santa Clara County (Southwest)--Cupertino, Saratoga Cities & Los Gatos Town PUMA, CA with a value of $229,111, followed by Santa Clara County (Northwest)--Palo Alto City & Los Altos Hills Town PUMA, CA and Contra Costa County (South)--San Ramon City & Danville Town PUMA, CA, with respective values of $210,275 and $208,750.

The following map shows all of the PUMAs in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$68,109

Median Household Income

± $3,415

34.2k

Number of Households

± 1,713

In 2023, the median household income of the 34.2k households in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA declined from $68,109 from the previous year's value of $69,530.

The following chart displays the households in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

0.411

2022 Wage GINI in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA

0.417

2021 Wage GINI in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA

In 2022, the income inequality in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA was 0.411 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.47% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (77.2%)
Carpooled (11.7%)
Worked At Home (5.96%)

In 2023, 77.2% of workers in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.7%) and those who worked at home (5.96%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

37 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA have a longer commute time (37 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 15% of the workforce in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA (18.1k out of 117k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA is Hispanic, followed by Other and White.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

90.9% of the population of Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA has health coverage, with 35.2% on employee plans, 37.8% on Medicaid, 6.84% on Medicare, 10.5% on non-group plans, and 0.548% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in California see 1234 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.484% decrease from the previous year (1240 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1102 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 236 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

1,234 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in California

Primary care physicians in California see an average of 1,234 patients per year. This represents a 0.484% decrease from the previous year (1,240 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in California in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 31.7% under 18 years, 21.1% between 18 and 34 years, 35% between 35 and 64 years, and 12.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.07%

Uninsured

35.2%

Employer Coverage

37.8%

Medicaid

6.84%

Medicare

10.5%

Non-Group

0.548%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA declined by 2.32% from 9.28% to 9.07%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Merced County (West & South)--Los Banos & Livingston Cities PUMA, CA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.