Work & commute · Merced

Work & commute in Merced, CA

About one in 3 of Merced’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Modesto (4%), Atwater (3%) and San Jose (3%). Half commute less than 25 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

31%

10,002 of 32,097 working residents

Typical commute

25 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

29 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 22,095 Merced residents head out of town to work, 10,002 work right here, and 16,557 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Merced.

22,095live here, work elsewhere

10,002live and work here

16,557work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Merced goes to work

Merced (in town)right here

31%10,002

Modesto36.9 mi away

4%1,152

Atwater7.3 mi away

3%1,029

San Jose73.9 mi away

3%973

Fresno52.1 mi away

3%972

Turlock25.2 mi away

3%936

Livingston14.9 mi away

2%732

Stockton64.9 mi away

1%464

San Francisco143.3 mi away

1%430

Sacramento102.4 mi away

1%392

Everywhere elseother towns and states

47%15,015

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Merced commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

40%

14%

37%

40%Under 10 mi

9%10–24 mi

14%25–50 mi

37%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Merced is balanced between jobs and homes

0.83jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (0.83 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Merced are

26,559 jobs are based in Merced. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Merced’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Merced

26,559 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)12%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)69%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month33%

Over $3,333 a month54%

Jobs Merced residents hold

32,097 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)23%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)59%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month57%

+14%

Jobs based in Merced, 2013 → 2023: 23,390 → 26,559. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.