2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Merced, CA vs Issaquah, WA

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Highlights
- Household income in Issaquah, is 154% more than it is in Merced and is 48% above the National Average.
- Merced unemployment rate is 9.3%.
- Issaquah unemployment rate is 5.1%.
 Merced, CAIssaquah, WAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock5.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.6%1.6%
 Future Job Growth33.3%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes8.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock0.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$22,520  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$132,984$69,021
 Family Median Income$57,892  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Merced, CAIssaquah, WAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock4.1%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K5.0%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock4.0%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K9.4%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock2.7%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.0%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock6.0%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K10.4%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock20.6%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K5.2%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock29.5%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Merced, CAIssaquah, WAUnited States
 Management, business, finance8.3%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock22.7%6.5%
 Community, social services2.2%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.4%1.2%
 Education, library7.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock3.8%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology3.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.2%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement3.2%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock2.6%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.8%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.0%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support18.3%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair8.7%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock4.5%13.1%
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 6 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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Reviews for Issaquah    11 Reviews

Great place if you enjoy living in a city of cloned homes, cars, and humans with no souls. You know the ones. Why show off your new Mercedes, Land Rover or Porsche when  More

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I lived in Issaquah for close to 30 years. I have seen a lot of changes in the city - some good and some not so good. I was very sad to leave and even sorrier to have  More

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Over 7 years ago

Issaquah WAS a 5-star place to live, play, work, own a home, and raise a family. That was up until the late '70s and early 80s. Issaquah was a country utopia for over a  More

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