Merced County is a county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 281,202. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after the Merced River.
Country: United States
State: California
Region: San Joaquin Valley
Incorporated: April 19, 1855
Named for: Merced River, originally El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced ("River of Our Lady of Mercy" in Spanish).