Cliffbank Lenders, a small-business funding service in Merced, California, collects the public figures that matter to Merced County owners asking about funding: employer and nonemployer counts, business size, the leading sectors, and how city limits and ZIP codes differ. It also covers buying a business, leasing or buying commercial space, and the local record steps partners may ask about.
| Employer establishments, county (2023) | 3,592 |
|---|---|
| Under five employees (2023) | 51.4% |
| Nonemployer businesses, county (2024) | 15,002 |
| Employer establishments, ZIP 95340 (2023) | 866 |
| Merced, CA workers who are self-employed | 6.1% (+/- 1.2) |
| New homes authorized, county (2025) | 780 |
How many businesses Merced County, CA has
The Census Bureau's County Business Patterns counted 3,592 employer establishments in Merced County, CA in 2023, with 49,545 paid employees and $2.45 billion in annual payroll. Of those establishments, 1,846 (51.4%) had fewer than five employees and 3,078 (85.7%) had fewer than twenty. A business with a handful of people on payroll is the normal case here, not the exception.
Retail trade had the most locations, 550. Health care and social assistance followed with 514, construction with 415 and accommodation and food services with 400. Manufacturing had only 116 establishments but the largest payroll of any sector, $588.4 million. Sector by sector, the industry pages use these counts in more detail.
Businesses without employees in Merced County, CA
A separate Census program, Nonemployer Statistics, counted 15,002 businesses with no paid employees in Merced County, CA in 2024. By industry, transportation and warehousing (3,103), other services (1,814), health care and social assistance (1,663), administrative and support services (1,491), construction (1,209) and retail trade (1,199) were the six largest groups. Employer and nonemployer counts come from different programs and years, so they are reported side by side, never added.
The American Community Survey (2020-2024) estimates that 8.2% (+/- 0.7) of employed Merced County, CA residents were self-employed, compared with 11.4% (+/- 0.1) statewide. Within the City of Merced the estimate was 6.1% (+/- 1.2).
Inside City of Merced, CA limits, or just a Merced, CA mailing address?
The city and the county share a name, and that matters when a partner asks where a business operates. The City of Merced's land falls in three ZIP codes: about 41% in 95341, 30% in 95340 and 29% in 95348 (Census 2020 ZIP-to-place relationship file). The reverse is also true: the city covers only 13.5% of ZIP 95340's land, so a Merced mailing address does not by itself place a business inside city limits. The Merced, CA license guide explains why that affects which office handles a business license.
ZIP 95340 alone had 866 employer establishments in 2023, 46.2% with fewer than five employees (ZIP Business Patterns). Health care led with 184, then retail trade with 133 and accommodation and food services with 103.
Merced, CA business for sale: paying for the purchase
Owners searching for a small business for sale in Merced, CA may need two kinds of money: the purchase itself, which can be a term loan reviewed on the seller's records, and working cash for the first months under new ownership. Partners may ask for the seller's tax returns and bank statements, the purchase agreement, and a list of the equipment and stock included. The post on buying a restaurant in Merced, CA walks through one example in detail.
Commercial property for lease or for sale in Merced, CA
Leasing keeps cash free for build-out, equipment and stock; buying ties up a down payment but ends rent. For a funding request the practical difference is collateral: a purchased building can secure a long loan, while a lease leaves the business's equipment, receivables and inventory as the assets a partner looks at. If you are leasing, get the tenant-improvement allowance and the lease term in writing before borrowing for a build-out, so the loan does not outlast the lease. The comparison page matches each option to its purpose.
New homes and the trades in Merced County, CA
Merced County, CA authorized 780 new privately owned housing units in 2025, up from 520 in 2024 and 406 in 2023 (Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey). The count covers new homes only, not remodels or commercial work, but it is one public measure of residential building activity. Contractors and builders have their own page, as do restaurants and medical practices.
Atwater, CA to Turlock, CA: nearby towns
Owners in Atwater, Livingston, Delhi, Chowchilla and Turlock can use the same phone line and online form. Each has a page with its own ZIP figures; the list starts on the service areas page.
Reaching Cliffbank Lenders
The business listing for Cliffbank Lenders is 1721 M St, Merced, CA 95340. Funding requests come in by phone at (209) 509-1962 and through the online form. About Cliffbank Lenders explains how requests are matched with funding partners, and the contact page has every way to reach us.
Merced, CA sectors our partners fund
Owners in Merced, CA come from many trades and services, such as contractors and construction trades, restaurants and food service, medical and dental practices and retailers and wholesalers that carry stock. Partners review each request on its own merits.
Paperwork partners commonly ask for
- Business checking statements covering roughly the last quarter or two
- Business and personal tax returns for the latest year
- An up-to-date P&L and balance sheet, even if you prepare them yourself
- Government-issued ID for each owner
- Your articles of organization or incorporation and the EIN letter
- A written quote or invoice if the money is for equipment
Partners differ in what they request; this list covers the usual ground.
How a request moves forward
- Reach us at (209) 509-1962 or through the contact form. When we call back, the first questions are simple: what the funding is for, how long the business has operated and its rough revenue.
- You hear which options match the need and what a partner will likely want to review. We submit nothing without your approval.
- Once you agree, the request goes to partners that provide that type of funding. The credit decision belongs to each partner.
- When an offer arrives, weigh its full cost, how payments are scheduled and the conditions. Accepting is entirely your choice.
From Merced, CA, the whole request can run by phone and online.
By Cliffbank Lenders · Updated
