County health data
Merced County, CA
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 13.0% of adults in Merced County (California: 11.5%). This county has 21 HRSA shortage designations, 2 hospitals, and 28 health center sites.
License. US government work, Public Domain Mark 1.0.
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Merced County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
40 measures for adults in Merced County (about 209,020 adults). 24 have a California figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the California figure: no leisure-time physical activity 33.2% vs 22.9% (+10.3 points), no health insurance, ages 18 to 64 18.2% vs 8.9% (+9.3 points), and fair or poor health 29.4% vs 20.8% (+8.6 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Merced County | California | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 20.2% | 21.0% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 31.2% | 30.6% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 5.2% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 9.8% | 8.8% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 6.1% | 3.0% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 6.1% | 4.2% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 21.5% | 17.0% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 13.0% | 11.5% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 35.0% | 37.0% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 33.8% | 27.7% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 3.4% | 2.9% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 18.0% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Merced County | California | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 18.2% | 8.9% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 68.1% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 68.9% | 74.5% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 80.5% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 53.2% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 49.8% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 68.9% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Merced County | California | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 16.0% | 14.2% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 14.1% | 8.5% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 33.2% | 22.9% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 38.7% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Merced County | California | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 29.4% | 20.8% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 19.0% | 14.7% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 16.0% | 12.2% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Merced County | California | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 19.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 36.0% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 6.5% | 5.4% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 10.6% | 7.3% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 16.7% | 12.5% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 5.3% | 4.2% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 8.2% | 5.5% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Health-Related Social Needs
| Measure | Merced County | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support | 30.7% | 2023 |
| Food insecurity in the past year | 28.7% | 2023 |
| Received food stamps in the past year | 25.3% | 2023 |
| Housing insecurity in the past year | 22.7% | 2023 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past year | 14.0% | 2023 |
| Loneliness | 39.7% | 2023 |
| Utility shut-off threat in the past year | 11.6% | 2023 |
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Health professional shortage areas
HRSA lists 21 designated shortage rows in Merced County: primary care 9 (highest score 20), mental health 6 (highest score 21), and dental 6 (highest score 25). 6 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 15 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| mental health | 1 | 5 | 21 |
| dental | 1 | 5 | 25 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LI MSSA 95-Livingston | dental | HPSA Population | 18 |
| ME MSSA 97.3 - Le Grand/Planada | primary care | HPSA Population | 17 |
| LI/MFW - MSSA 95/Ballico/Delhi/Livingston | primary care | HPSA Population | 15 |
| MSSA 94/Los Banos | primary care | Geographic HPSA | 12 |
| LI - Merced County | mental health | HPSA Population | 12 |
| HN - MSSA 97.1 & 97.2/Merced/Merced Southwest | primary care | High Needs Geographic HPSA | 7 |
Facility designations (15)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LIVINGSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH | dental | Federally Qualified Health Center | 25 |
| GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | dental | Federally Qualified Health Center | 23 |
| LIVINGSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH | mental health | Federally Qualified Health Center | 21 |
| USP - Atwater | mental health | Correctional Facility | 21 |
| LIVINGSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH | primary care | Federally Qualified Health Center | 20 |
| CASTLE FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC. | mental health | Federally Qualified Health Center Look A Like | 20 |
| CASTLE FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC. | dental | Federally Qualified Health Center Look A Like | 19 |
| GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | primary care | Federally Qualified Health Center | 18 |
| GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | mental health | Federally Qualified Health Center | 18 |
| CASTLE FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC. | primary care | Federally Qualified Health Center Look A Like | 17 |
| APEX MEDICAL GROUP, INC | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| APEX MEDICAL GROUP, INC | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 14 |
| USP - Atwater | primary care | Correctional Facility | 12 |
| USP - Atwater | dental | Correctional Facility | 12 |
| APEX MEDICAL GROUP, INC | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 11 |
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Hospitals and readmission rates
CMS Care Compare lists 2 acute care or critical access hospitals in Merced County. None has a readmission rate CMS rates worse than the national rate.
| Hospital | City | Stars | Heart failure | Pneumonia | COPD | Heart attack | Hip or knee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEMORIAL HOSPITAL LOS BANOS | LOS BANOS | 3 | 20.9% | 18.0% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| MERCY MEDICAL CENTER | MERCED | 3 | 21.5% | 18.8% | 19.9% | 14.0% | n/a |
Each rate is the share of patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge, July 2023 to June 2025. "n/a" means CMS did not publish a rate for that hospital.
Source: CMS Care Compare hospital general information, as of August 13, 2026. Publisher page
Source: CMS Care Compare unplanned hospital visits, as of September 30, 2026. Publisher page
Health centers
28 active health center sites in Merced County, run by 5 organizations.
| Site ↑ | Health center | Address | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camarena Health - Los Banos | CAMARENA HEALTH | 2520 E Pacheco Blvd | Los Banos 93635 |
| Castle family Health center @ Castle | CASTLE FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC. | 3605 Hospital Rd | Atwater 95301 |
| Castle family Health center @Bloss | CASTLE FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC. | 1251 Grove Ave | Atwater 95301 |
| Castle Family Health Center at Winton | CASTLE FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC. | 6029 N Winton Way | Winton 95388 |
| Castle Family Health Centers at Atwater | CASTLE FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS, INC. | 1775 Third St | Atwater 95301 |
| Central Valley PACE - Merced | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 727 W Childs Ave | Merced 95341 |
| CHCA Merced | COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS OF AMERICA | 850 W Olive Ave | Merced 95348 |
| CHCA Merced Alternative Medicine Health Center | COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS OF AMERICA | 104 W Alexander Ave | Merced 95348 |
| Community Health Centers of America Gustine Primary Care | COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS OF AMERICA | 489 5th St | Gustine 95322 |
| Community Health Centers of America Gustine Specialty | COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS OF AMERICA | 554 5th St | Gustine 95322 |
| Community Health Centers of America Livingston | COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS OF AMERICA | 517 Main St | Livingston 95334 |
| Delhi King St Center | LIVINGSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH | 16233 King St | Delhi 95315 |
| GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 737 W Childs Ave | Merced 95341 |
| GVHC - Senior Health and Wellness Center | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 857 W Childs Ave | Merced 95341 |
| GVHC - Dos Palos | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 1405 California Ave | Dos Palos 93620 |
| GVHC - Merced Suites | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 847 W Childs Ave | Merced 95341 |
| GVHC - Merced Northview | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 3940 Sandpiper Ave | Merced 95340 |
| GVHC - Planada | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 9235 E Broadway St | Planada 95365 |
| GVHC - Atwater Administrative Offices | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 1910 Customer Care Way | Atwater 95301 |
| GVHC - LE GRAND | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 13161 Jefferson St | Le Grand 95333 |
| GVHC - LOS BANOS DENTAL | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 725 W I St | Los Banos 93635 |
| GVHC - Merced Ranchero | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 2752 Ranchero Ln | Merced 95348 |
| GVHC - MERCED WOMEN'S CLINIC | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 797 W Childs Ave | Merced 95341 |
| GVHC- LOS BANOS | GOLDEN VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS | 821 Texas Ave | Los Banos 93635 |
| Hilmar Lander Ave Center | LIVINGSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH | 7970 Lander Ave, Suite A | Hilmar 95324 |
| Livingston Campus Center | LIVINGSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH | 600 B St | Livingston 95334 |
| Livingston Wolves Center | LIVINGSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH | 1617 Main St | Livingston 95334 |
| Merced East Campus Center | LIVINGSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH | 125 E 18th St | Merced 95340 |
Source: HRSA health center service delivery and look-alike sites, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
California rural health plan
The California Rural Health Transformation Program will provide novel and innovative strategies to bring rural and frontier communities the resources and quality health care services that they need.
Initiatives, as the state's abstract names them (page 9):
- Rural Health Transformative Care Model
- Rural Health Workforce Development
- Rural Health Technology and Tools
CMS says the abstract budgets are illustrative and are not award amounts, so none are shown.
Source: CMS Rural Health Transformation Program state project abstracts, as of December 2025. Publisher page
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Medicare plans in Merced County, CA
About this data
County rates are CDC PLACES model-based estimates of adults, built from the CDC BRFSS survey and Census population data. State and US figures are BRFSS survey results for the same year. They are not averages of counties, and small differences may not be meaningful.
Shortage rows are HRSA designations with status Designated. Scores run from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need. Hospitals are acute care and critical access hospitals CMS lists in the county, with 30-day rates of unplanned readmission. Health centers are active HRSA-funded and look-alike sites.
Rural health plan initiatives are copied as the state wrote them. Nothing here is medical advice.
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page