Buhach Grammar School · National Register of Historic Places
McSwain’s story
McSwain in pictures
The archive holds 5 maps from 1918 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →McSwainCA
A town of 5,783.
1 bordering townMap →
Buhach Grammar School · Photo: Saeidb · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
5,783
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$690K
Census ACS
Household income
$139K
median
Median age
33.8
years
Jobs based here
713
A commuter town
TownGrade
C−
#492 of 841 in CA
What should you know before moving to McSwain?
0% of its land is conserved. Overall it grades C−, 492nd among California's 841 graded towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $690K, 10.5 years of the Merced metro’s $66K median household income. McSwain’s July high is 95°F, above both the California town median (89°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Buhach Grammar School is on the National Register of Historic Places.
WeakestDCost of living
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave McSwain for work
Where McSwain’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
713jobs based in McSwain
2%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How McSwain grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far McSwain is from typical.
Cost of livingDOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 14.3% of households have no car; 1.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Jobs & incomeBOpen →HealthMercy Medical Center 6.9 miles awayB−Open →SchoolsBeat 52% of California districts on tests and graduationB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to McSwain: who provides what
McSwain is unincorporated, so Merced County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerMerced Irrigation District24.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCal Am - Meadowbrook water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMerced CountyMerced County provides services here
SchoolsMerced Union High School DistrictMcSwain Union Elementary School District2 districts serve McSwain; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMerced County Registrar of Voters - ElectionsMerced County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP codes95301, 9534195301 98% · 95341 2%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in McSwain.
McSwain has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
McSwain has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs based here grew from 352 in 2013 to 713.
Most working residents leave McSwain for work: only 2% work in town. The median household income in McSwain is $139,000. Since 2013, McSwain has added 361 jobs, to 713 in 2023.
2%work in town
| McSwain | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $139,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 5.5% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In McSwain2%
Merced20%
Atwater11%
Modesto6%
Turlock4%
20 mi
median commute distance
713
jobs based in McSwain
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
More children than California overall
Children under 18 are 31% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 10% of residents (16% statewide). McSwain’s median age is 33.8 years. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
33.8median age · CA 37.9
| McSwain | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 9.8% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 33.8 years | 39.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 29% | 29% |
McSwainCaliforniaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma15%
High school28%
Some college17%
Associate’s6%
Bachelor’s19%
Graduate15%
Women and men · all residents
46% women, 54% men
About 119 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.4 points). Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| McSwain | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.6% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.2% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.4% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.7% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.4% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.3% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.3% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.4% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.9% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.7% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in McSwain
The Merced weather station records that about 106 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 95.3°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.7°.
McSwain has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
95°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter39–58°
Spring48–75°
Summer61–93°
Fall51–78°
Nov 24
typical first frost
Mar 3
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
95°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in McSwain
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities.
60risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesDrought
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB−
McSwain ranks healthier than 52% of the country’s towns
Against the 3,652 U.S. towns with household incomes like McSwain’s, it is less healthy than 94%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
McSwain beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 74% of McSwain adults had a checkup this year.
52%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| McSwain | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 72% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 22% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 29% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 36% | 33% |
32 measures vs. California
0 better25 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | McSwain | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 6.9% | 5.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.6% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.2% | 6.4% |
Mercy Medical Center
6.9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
41st
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade D
Homes in McSwain sell for about $795K
At 10.5 years of the Merced metro’s $66K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 79% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
$795Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about McSwain
16pages on McSwain
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of McSwain
Merced CollegeCommunity college · Public · Merced6.2 mi$1,200 in-state tuitionUniversity of California-MercedUniversity or college · Public · Merced9.6 mi$15,623 in-state tuition
About 8 of every 100 McSwain residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
About McSwain
Census-designated place in California, United States
McSwain is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Merced County, California, United States. McSwain sits at an elevation of 144 feet (44 m). As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,480, up from 4,171 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 144 ft
- Area code
- 209
McSwain’s neighbors
One town shares a border with McSwain.
AtwaterMcSwain
How the neighbors grade
McSwain reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare McSwain with a neighbor →
Questions about McSwain
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is McSwain, CA a good place to live?
McSwain grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #492 of 841 in California. It grades B− for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is McSwain, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $690,000, 9% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.