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HVAC and plumbing companies in Merced County, CA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for HVAC and plumbing companies in Merced County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #227 of 1,707 scored counties
#9 of 49 scored counties in California

Listings
34
3 chain locations (9%)
Official establishments
63
+26.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$220.4M
On home repairs, maintenance and insurance · $2,562 a household
Spending per listing
$6.5M
36% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.0
37% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
297,260
+5.1% since 2020

See the HVAC and plumbing companies around any address in Merced County

The site report maps the HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Merced County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 34 HVAC and plumbing companies in Merced County. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 4% across the U.S. That is 4.0 per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 6.3.

Household spending on home repairs, maintenance and insurance in Merced County comes to about $220.4M a year: $2,562 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. Spread across 34 HVAC and plumbing companies, that is $6.5M per company, 36% above the U.S. figure of $4.8M. That spending covers all home repairs, maintenance and insurance, which HVAC and plumbing companies share with other businesses in the trade.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in Merced County was 63 in 2023, up 26.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,366 households, against one for every 1,162 across the U.S.

Population estimates show Merced County grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for HVAC and plumbing companies in Merced County is 69 (upper middle), #227 of 1,707 scored counties and #9 of 49 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Merced County compares

The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all home repairs, maintenance and insurance by the HVAC and plumbing companies counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

HVAC and plumbing in Merced County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureMerced CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.06.26.3
Spending per listing$6.5M$5.2M$4.8M
Households per official establishment1,3661,1591,162
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+26.0%+10.4%+7.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.1%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on home repairs, maintenance and insurance$2,562$3,240$3,018
Median household income$65,510$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score6954

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
50 → 63+26.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
468
Annual payroll, 2023
$26.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
343 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
46The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in Merced County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.

Population and households in Merced County

Population, 2025 estimate
297,260+5.1% since 2020
Households
86,055
Median age
32.1
Homes lived in by their owners
54%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
1,938 sq. mi.
People per square mile
150
Median household income
$65,510+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$87,781
Median home value
$391,800
Jobs located here
77,775
Daytime population
255,124Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Merced County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Merced County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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HVAC and plumbing across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for HVAC and plumbing companies, numbered among those based in California, with Merced County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for HVAC and plumbing companies by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Yolo County, CA81344.4$6.9M+3.1%#52 of 1,707
2San Francisco County, CA78992.7$14M−5.6%#73 of 1,707
3Amador County, CA7663.7$7.7M+3.2%#96 of 1,707
4San Joaquin County, CA741305.3$5.7M+5.5%#136 of 1,707
5Alameda County, CA733175.3$7M−2.6%#149 of 1,707
6Solano County, CA73795.0$6.3M+0.6%#151 of 1,707
7Santa Clara County, CA723885.9$7M−0.9%#165 of 1,707
8Contra Costa County, CA722335.6$6.5M+0.3%#166 of 1,707
9Merced County, CA69344.0$6.5M+5.1%#227 of 1,707
10Madera County, CA66204.4$6.3M+7.4%#291 of 1,707

Other business types in Merced County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many HVAC and plumbing companies are in Merced County, CA?

Merced County has 34 HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count heating and air-conditioning companies and plumbers. Official counts show 63 businesses with payroll classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in 2023, up 26.0% from 2019.

How much do households in Merced County, CA spend on home repairs, maintenance and insurance?

About $220.4M a year, or $2,562 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings, it comes to $6.5M per company. The spending figure covers all home repairs, maintenance and insurance, not only HVAC and plumbing companies. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,055 households in Merced County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Merced County, CA compare with the U.S. for HVAC and plumbing companies?

Merced County has 4.0 HVAC and plumbing companies per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 6.3. Spending per company is $6.5M, 36% above the U.S. figure of $4.8M. At the national ratio of HVAC and plumbing companies to household spending, Merced County would have about 46, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,366 households, against one for every 1,162 across the U.S. The official count rose 26.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.6% for the U.S.

How fast is Merced County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Merced County at 297,260 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,055 households. The median household income in Merced County is $65,510 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Merced County scores 69 for HVAC and plumbing companies (upper middle), #227 of 1,707 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merced County. It maps the HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for HVAC and plumbing companies · All 56 business types in Merced County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Merced County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Merced County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.