Merced County

Merced County, California — key demographics

Population size

• Total population: 289,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS 1-year)

Age

• Median age: 31.0
• Under 18: 30%
• 18–64: 57%
• 65 and over: 13%

Gender

• Male: 50.4%
• Female: 49.6%

Racial/ethnic composition (Hispanic is of any race; other groups are non-Hispanic)

• Hispanic/Latino: 63%
• White: 19%
• Asian: 8%
• Black/African American: 4%
• Two or more races: 5%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: 1%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: <1%

Household data

• Total households: ~80,000
• Average household size: 3.6 persons
• Family households: ~77% of households
• Households with children under 18: ~45%
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate: ~53%

Insights

• Merced County is younger than the U.S. overall, with a high share of children and large average household size.
• The population is predominantly Hispanic/Latino, with relatively smaller non-Hispanic White and Asian populations compared with California’s coastal counties.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2023 1-year for population, age, sex, race/ethnicity; 2019–2023 ACS 5-year for detailed household structure and housing tenure).

Email usage snapshot: Merced County, CA (pop. ~290,000; ~150 residents per sq. mile)

Estimated email users: ≈215,000 residents. Estimate combines local internet subscription levels (ACS) with national email adoption among internet users (Pew).

Age distribution of email users (share of users):

• 13–17: ~13%
• 18–34: ~35%
• 35–54: ~33%
• 55+: ~20%

Gender split among email users: ~50% female, ~50% male (email adoption is essentially uniform by gender; county population is roughly even).

Digital access and trends:

• ~86% of households have a broadband subscription; ~92% have a computer (ACS).
• Smartphone-only internet access is common in lower-income, rural areas; roughly mid–teens percent of households rely primarily on mobile data.
• Fixed broadband availability exceeds 95% at basic speeds (FCC), with fastest tiers clustered in Merced, Atwater, and along the Hwy 99 corridor; west-side rural areas lag in fiber and high-capacity options.
• A young median age and the presence of UC Merced support strong adoption among 18–34-year-olds, while 55+ usage continues to rise as device ownership and telehealth/benefits access expand.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FCC Broadband Map, Pew Research Center.

Mobile phone usage in Merced County, CA (2025 snapshot)

Headline user estimates

• Population base: ~289,000 residents; ~208,000 adults (18+).
• Smartphone users: ~207,000 total (≈187,000 adults at ~90% adoption plus ≈20,000 teens 13–17 at ~85% adoption).
• Mobile-only internet households (smartphone or cellular hotspot as primary home connection): ~13% of households, versus ~7–8% statewide. With ~85,000 households countywide, that is ≈11,000 households.
• Prepaid plan penetration: ~42% of mobile subscribers (vs ~28–30% statewide), reflecting lower median income and higher cost sensitivity.
• Android vs iOS share: approximately 63% Android / 37% iOS in Merced County (vs roughly 50–55% iOS statewide), consistent with plan mix and price bands.

Demographic breakdown (how Merced differs from California overall)

• Younger, mobile-first profile: Median age ~31 (several years younger than the state), pushing higher daily mobile use for schooling, work scheduling, and entertainment. Adults under 35 account for ~33% of smartphone users (vs ~28% statewide).
• Hispanic/Latino majority: ~64% of residents; Spanish-dominant and bilingual households are overrepresented among smartphone-only internet users. Messaging and calling apps with international reach (WhatsApp, Messenger, carrier add-ons for Mexico/Central America) see higher uptake than the state average.
• Income-driven usage patterns: Median household income is substantially below the California average; among households under $50,000, smartphone-only reliance is common, and family plans or prepaid bundles are favored. Lifeline participation has been high, and the sunset of the ACP in 2024–2025 disproportionately affected Merced County users relative to the state.
• Seasonal and shift-work effects: The agricultural workforce drives heavier evening and weekend cell-site loads during harvest cycles, creating more pronounced peak-time congestion than typical urban California markets.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• 5G coverage footprint: Mid-band 5G from all three national carriers is established along the Highway 99 corridor (Merced, Atwater, Livingston), the UC Merced growth area, and most of Los Banos/Highway 152. Rural east-side foothills and west-side rangeland (e.g., Panoche Hills, Pacheco Pass approaches) still have coverage gaps and fall back to LTE or no service in pockets.
• Real-world speeds: In covered urban/suburban zones, mid-band 5G typically delivers ~100–300 Mbps down with low tens of ms latency; rural LTE areas commonly see ~5–30 Mbps with higher latency and more variability under load.
• Fixed wireless access (FWA): T-Mobile Home Internet is widely available across populated census tracts; Verizon 5G Home is present in denser areas. County-level FWA adoption is elevated (~9–12% of households) versus the state average due to limited affordable wired options in some tracts. Starlink fills service gaps for remote farms and ranches.
• Backhaul and capacity: New macro sites and sector upgrades since 2022 have improved the Highway 99/UC Merced corridor, but several rural sectors remain backhaul-constrained, making Merced’s peak-time slowdowns more noticeable than in coastal metros.

Usage behavior and plan choices

• Higher reliance on unlimited prepaid and family bundles, with hotspot add-ons used for homework and streaming in households without wired broadband.
• Above-average usage of international calling/messaging features; stores and MVNOs catering to Spanish-speaking customers are more prevalent per capita than in most California counties.
• College and K–12 demand centers (UC Merced, Merced College, school districts) anchor strong daytime utilization and Wi‑Fi offload; evening peaks are stronger than state norms in residential and agricultural-adjacent sectors.

Key ways Merced County diverges from statewide trends

• More mobile-only households (≈13% vs ~7–8% CA).
• Higher prepaid share (42% vs ~28–30% CA) and higher Android share (63% vs ~45–50% Android statewide).
• Greater sensitivity to ACP/Lifeline changes, with a larger share of households previously subsidized.
• Wider urban–rural performance gap: strong mid-band 5G along main corridors, but more frequent rural dead zones and congestion windows than the state average.
• Heavier international communications usage and Spanish-language app adoption, reflecting local demographics.

Notes on methodology

• Figures synthesize the latest county demographics (ACS), national smartphone adoption (Pew), FCC coverage data, carrier 5G build patterns in the Central Valley, and market mix observations. Where county-specific measurements are not directly published, estimates are derived by applying validated state/national adoption rates to Merced County’s age, income, and language profile.

Social media usage in Merced County, CA (2025 snapshot)

Headline user stats

• Population: ≈290,000 residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 estimate)
• Estimated social media users (ages 13+): ≈210,000 (≈72% of total population, applying U.S. social penetration from DataReportal 2024)
• Ethnolinguistic context: ≈64% Hispanic/Latino (Census), which correlates with above-average Facebook and WhatsApp usage and strong demand for bilingual (English/Spanish) content

Most-used platforms (adult usage; U.S. 2024 rates used as local proxy)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• TikTok: 33%
• Pinterest: 35%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• Snapchat: 27%
• WhatsApp: ~29% overall; among Hispanic adults ≈46% (Pew)
• X (Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22%
• Nextdoor: ~19% These percentages represent the share of adults who use each platform; in Merced County, WhatsApp and Facebook engagement skew higher than national averages due to the county’s large Hispanic/Latino population.

Age-group snapshot

• Teens (13–17): Very high overall use. Platform reach (U.S. teens, Pew 2023): YouTube 93%, TikTok 63%, Instagram 62%, Snapchat 60%, Facebook 33%
• Young adults (18–29): Nearly universal YouTube use; heavy on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat; Facebook still widely used but less central than for older cohorts
• Adults 30–49: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram common; TikTok adoption growing
• 50+: Facebook is primary; YouTube strong for how‑to/news; lighter adoption of Instagram/TikTok

Gender breakdown (directional skews that apply locally)

• Overall social media adoption is similar by gender
• Platform skews (Pew 2024): Pinterest is heavily female (about 50% of women vs ~20% of men use it); Reddit and X skew male; Facebook and YouTube are broadly balanced

Behavioral trends in Merced County

• Facebook is the community backbone: local groups and pages drive information sharing (schools, public safety, events, yard sales) with strong Spanish-language participation
• Messaging-first habits: WhatsApp is widely used in Spanish-speaking households for family, work crews, and community coordination; Messenger and Snapchat dominate youth messaging
• Short‑form video wins: Instagram Reels and TikTok power discovery for food trucks, salons, retail, and campus life (UC Merced), outperforming static posts
• YouTube is universal utility: how‑to content, church services, school district videos, and Spanish-language tutorials see consistent search-driven traffic
• Nextdoor is present mainly in denser neighborhoods (City of Merced, Atwater); rural communities rely more on Facebook Groups
• Timing patterns: Engagement tends to concentrate before/after shift work and on weekend late mornings; schedule posts for early morning and evening windows, and deploy Stories/Reels around commuting hours
• Creative cues: Bilingual captions, subtitles on video, and community-first storytelling (family, faith, school, local sports) lift shares and comments; practical value (jobs, housing, how‑to, public services) outperforms brand-centric messaging

Method and sources

• County population/demographics: U.S. Census Bureau (ACS/QuickFacts)
• Platform usage rates: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024 (adults) and Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023 (teens); DataReportal Digital 2024 (U.S. social penetration)
• County figures are modeled by applying current U.S. usage rates to Merced County’s population and demographic profile; use for planning and channel mix decisions where platform-specific county data are not published by providers