42Alpha

Merced County, CA Housing Market Brief

county · CA · as of May 2026

Balanced

What is Merced County, CA’s Alpha Score?

The Alpha Score is a composite 0–100 index of market strength, a weighted blend of five dimensions. See the methodology.

Price Momentum20%
+7.047
Inventory Health25%
+10.060
Affordability20%
4
Economic Strength20%
48
Rental Yield15%
45

Where is Merced County, CA in its market cycle?

EmergingGrowingMaturePeakingDecliningRecovering

Merced County, CA is classified as Recoveringturning back up after a downturn. This is a classification of recent (1–12 month) momentum, not a price forecast.

Merced County, CA housing market data

MetricValueYoY
Median Sale Price$425K-0.3%
Median Days on Market35 days▲ +16.7%
Months of Supply2.7-22.9%
Homes for Sale413-23.7%
Homes Sold151-1.3%
Median Price / Sq Ft$267-0.4%
Sale-to-List Ratio98.9%▲ +0.4%

How has Merced County, CA’s Alpha Score moved?

Now: 42
3-period trend
Median sale price · 12 mo

Markets like Merced County, CA

Frequently asked questions

Is Merced County, CA a buyer's or seller's market?

As of May 2026, Merced County, CA is classified as a Balanced Market, based on its Alpha Score of 42 out of 100. The classification reflects current price, inventory, affordability, economic, and rental-yield conditions.

Are home prices rising or falling in Merced County, CA?

The median sale price in Merced County, CA is $425K, having held roughly steady over the past year.

How affordable is Merced County, CA?

Merced County, CA scores 4 out of 100 on affordability — relatively unaffordable relative to local incomes and prevailing mortgage rates compared with other counties.

What's driving Merced County, CA's Alpha Score?

Merced County, CA's strongest dimension is Inventory Health (60/100) and its weakest is Affordability (4/100). The Alpha Score is a weighted blend of all five dimensions.

Want the live, interactive view of Merced County, CA? Open the full market dashboard — charts, ZIP-level drill-down, and watchlist tracking. Explore the map or read the methodology.