Real estate · County · California
Mortgage brokers and lenders in Merced County, CA
How Merced County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for mortgage brokers and lenders: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #111 of 887 scored counties
#2 of 42 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 26
- 10 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On rent and homeowner costs · $16,589 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 141
- 41% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.0
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 297,260
- +5.1% since 2020
See the mortgage brokers and lenders around any address in Merced County
The site report maps the mortgage brokers and lenders 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.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey 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 26 mortgage brokers and lenders in Merced County. Of those, 10 are chain locations, or 38%, against 21% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.0, 30% below the U.S. rate of 4.3.
Households in Merced County spend about $1.4B a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $16,589 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 41% above the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money mortgage brokers and lenders take in.
Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as mortgage brokers and real estate lenders in Merced County in 2023. That is one for every 9,562 households, against one for every 4,897 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Merced County grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Merced County scores 71 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for mortgage brokers and lenders, ranking #111 of 887 scored counties and #2 of 42 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. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Merced County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.0 | 6.4 | 4.3 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 141 | 80 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 9,562 | 2,973 | 4,897 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −0.8% | +9.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $16,589 | $19,977 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $65,510 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 28 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 53
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2610 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The 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 mortgage brokers and real estate lenders 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 mortgage brokers and lenders 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.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardMortgage brokers and lenders across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for mortgage brokers and lenders, numbered among those based in California, with Merced County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kings County, CA | 71 | 8 | 1.8 | 240 | +1.0% | #102 of 887 |
| 2Merced County, CA | 71 | 26 | 3.0 | 141 | +5.1% | #111 of 887 |
| 3Tuolumne County, CA | 64 | 5 | 2.2 | 208 | −4.0% | #181 of 887 |
| 4San Francisco County, CA | 64 | 116 | 3.2 | 183 | −5.6% | #184 of 887 |
| 5Madera County, CA | 64 | 14 | 3.1 | 146 | +7.4% | #188 of 887 |
| 6Calaveras County, CA | 62 | 7 | 3.8 | 123 | +2.8% | #222 of 887 |
| 7Alameda County, CA | 59 | 231 | 3.9 | 148 | −2.6% | #262 of 887 |
| 8Tulare County, CA | 59 | 43 | 3.0 | 146 | +2.4% | #263 of 887 |
| 9San Benito County, CA | 59 | 11 | 5.3 | 101 | +8.6% | #271 of 887 |
| 10San Mateo County, CA | 58 | 98 | 3.7 | 166 | −2.5% | #273 of 887 |
Other business types in Merced County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
- Real estate64
- Real estate agents and brokers69
- Property management61
- Mortgage brokers and lenders71
- Home inspectors
Funeral services
Questions
How many mortgage brokers and lenders are in Merced County, CA?
Merced County has 26 mortgage brokers and lenders on map listings as of September 2026. 10 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count mortgage brokers and mortgage lenders. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as mortgage brokers and real estate lenders in 2023.
How much do households in Merced County, CA spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $1.4B a year, or $16,589 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 26 mortgage brokers and lenders on map listings, housing spending per office is 41% above the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money mortgage brokers and lenders take in. 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 mortgage brokers and lenders?
Merced County has 3.0 mortgage brokers and lenders per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 4.3. The index of housing spending per office is 141, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of mortgage brokers and lenders to household spending, Merced County would have about 37, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,562 households, against one for every 4,897 across 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 71 for mortgage brokers and lenders (upper middle), #111 of 887 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 mortgage brokers and lenders 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 mortgage brokers and lenders · 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.