States · California · Merced County

McSwain, California.

A community in Merced County, with no city government of its own. Zillow publishes no home prices for it: see Merced County’s.

Living in McSwain, Merced County, California

McSwain, in Merced County, had 4,480 people in the 2020 census. Half its households earn more than $139,131 a year and half less, against $65,510 across Merced County; 17% of its people live below the poverty line. 74% of its homes are lived in by their owners and 26% are rented. Unemployment in Merced County was 8.9% in August 2026, and the county had 0.8% more jobs in 2025 than the year before. The most residents work in schools and health care, then construction.

People 4,480 in the 2020 census
Household income $139,131 the median, give or take $23,045 · Merced County: $65,510
Unemployment 8.9% Merced County, August 2026; 9.4% a year before
Homes 74% lived in by their owners; 26% rented
  • 1,571households
  • 34%of adults have a degree
  • 17%below the poverty line
  • 23 mintypical commute
  • 6%work from home

What residents work in

  • Schools, hospitals and social care28%
  • Building trades13%
  • Other services10%
  • Restaurants, hotels and entertainment9%
  • Shops (retail)7%
  • Manufacturing6%

Employed residents by industry, from the Census survey. Merced County had 85,663 jobs in 2025, 0.8% more than the year before (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Weather through the year

Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 54° and 37°; warmest in July, 95° and 62° 40° 60° 80° 100° J 54° 37° F M A M J J 95° 62° A S O N D
Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 54° and 37°; warmest in July, 95° and 62° 40° 60° 80° 100° J 54° 37° F M A M J J 95° 62° A S O N D

Coldest in January, with highs near 54° and lows near 37°; warmest in July, with highs near 95° and lows near 62°. About 13 inches of rain a year, and little or no snow.

Average daily high and low, 1991–2020, at the Merced weather station, 4 miles away (NOAA).

Largest workplaces in Merced County

  1. Merced CountyCommunity health programs administration2,176
  2. University of California-MercedUniversity or college1,863
  3. Merced Union High SchoolsSchool district1,108FTE
  4. Mercy Medical Center MercedGeneral hospital1,100FTE
  5. Merced City Elementary SchoolsSchool district1,037FTE
  6. Hilmar Cheese CompanyDips, cheese based, manufacturing999
  7. Los Banos UnifiedSchool district985FTE
  8. Merced County Office of Education SchoolsSchool district952FTE

Staff on average in 2025, as each workplace reported it to OSHA with its injury records: 147 workplaces with 20 or more staff, 21,213 people in all across the county; McSwain has one of its own. Colleges come from IPEDS (NCES, 2023–24), school districts from the Common Core of Data (NCES, 2023–24) and hospitals from their Medicare cost reports (CMS, 2023); FTE marks full-time equivalent staff. Not listed: many offices and banks, which need not report to OSHA; military bases, whose staff OPM withholds; and, in about half the states, city and county governments.

Natural hazards

  1. DroughtRelatively high
  2. EarthquakesRelatively high
  3. Heat wavesRelatively high
  4. Inland floodingRelatively high
  5. WildfireRelatively moderate
  6. LightningRelatively moderate

FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the risk each natural hazard poses to the people, buildings and farms in McSwain’s census tracts, against the rest of the country; all of them together, relatively high. It is meant for planning, not a substitute for a local risk assessment or a flood map: FEMA’s index.

From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census and its American Community Survey (2020–2024 five-year estimates), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A survey, so each figure has a margin of error, and figures it is not sure of are left out. More on Merced County.