2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Golden, CO vs Merced, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Merced, is 38% less than it is in Golden and is 32% below the National Average.
- Golden unemployment rate is 6.3%.
- Merced unemployment rate is 9.3%.
 Golden, COMerced, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock9.3%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.5%1.6%
 Future Job Growth44.3%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes4.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$48,030  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$52,305$69,021
 Family Median Income$125,393  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Golden, COMerced, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock14.3%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.0%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock10.4%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K5.7%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.8%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K5.3%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock10.6%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K13.2%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock13.4%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K11.5%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock4.5%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Golden, COMerced, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance21.9%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock2.9%6.5%
 Community, social services1.7%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.5%1.2%
 Education, library7.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.4%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock5.3%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.0%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock6.2%5.4%
 Building maintenance1.9%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.7%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support19.2%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock8.1%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair4.7%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock15.8%13.1%
Reviews for Golden    5 Reviews

...6 months of winter from the first snowfall to the last. Lots of warm, sunny days in between. However...just when you think you can get out your shorts and sandals,  More

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It doesn't get any better than this little town, nestled between two stunning mesas. Beauty abounds in every direction. You have that "small town feel" but are just  More

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Over 11 years ago

Golden is a fantastic place to have a family! Close to metro Denver, but close to the mountains and all its recreation. The schools are very good! My boys are 5 and  More

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Reviews for Merced    44 Reviews

Merced is totally slept on - you want a little bit of everything CA has to offer, at a fraction of the price of other CA cities? Merced is the place to go. The town  More

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Over 5 years ago

Good place to live. More affordable than most of california. The city is growing and there is alot of business and growth here. Moved from the Bay area years ago and  More

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Great place to live. Lots of progress and changes coming to the city. Great place to raise a family. UC Merced is expanding and businesses are investing. Downtown is  More

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