| | Merced, CA | Barstow, CA | United States |
| Population | 85,993 | 25,123 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 50.4% | 52.5% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 49.7% | 47.5% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 29.6 | 30.6 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 79,097 | 22,806 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 63,893 | 21,119 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 56,216 | 21,472 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 38.1% | 11.7% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 57.0% | 9.8% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 3,702.5 | 608.7 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 23.2 | 41.3 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 0.1 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Merced, CA | Barstow, CA | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 7.3% | 9.1% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 8.9% | 9.2% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 8.8% | 7.1% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 5.2% | 8.1% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 6.0% | 4.5% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 6.9% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 15.5% | 13.5% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 11.9% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 9.4% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.3% | 5.6% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 4.1% | 4.2% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 6.3% | 8.8% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 2.7% | 3.3% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 0.8% | 0.9% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Merced, CA | Barstow, CA | United States |
| White | 23.8% | 21.0% | 59.4% |
| Black | 3.9% | 13.3% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 10.8% | 2.3% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.4% | 1.1% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 2.7% | 9.4% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 58.1% | 52.0% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Merced, CA | Barstow, CA | United States |
| Married Population | 40.8% | 35.5% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 38.1% | 32.2% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.7% | 3.2% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 59.2% | 64.5% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 44.5% | 44.2% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 9.9% | 11.7% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 4.9% | 8.6% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 3.19 | 2.91 | 2.60 |
| Households | 26,673 | 8,543 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 18,884 | 5,741 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 29.1% | 18.2% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 27.3% | 27.2% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 7,789 | 2,802 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 29.9% | 39.5% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 13.7% | 15.2% | 10.8% |