Merced County is a county located in California's Central Valley, north of Fresno and southeast of San Jose. As of 2000 the population was 210,554. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after the Merced River. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,107 km² (1,972 mi²). 4,995 km² (1,929 mi²) of it is land and 112 km² (43 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.19% water. As of the census2 of 2000, there were 210,554 people, 63,815 households, and 49,775 families residing in the county. The population density was 42/km² (109/mi²). There were 68,373 housing units at an average density of 14/km² (36/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 56.21% White, 3.83% Black or African American, 1.19% Native American, 6.80% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 26.13% from other races, and 5.65% from two or more races. 45.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.