Merced County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 255,793. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after the Merced River. Merced County comprises the Merced, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Modesto-Merced, CA Combined Statistical Area. The county is located north of Fresno, and southeast of San Jose. The county derives its economy from agriculture and related industries, and has a large Hispanic population.