Research
Merced, CA — Dental practices with more than one provider is the lowest of 22 California markets we measure
We measured 33 dental practices in Merced serving 89,766 residents, and 4 findings stood out against the other markets we measure.
What we set out to measure
Who takes your plan, and who can see you outside working hours?
Every dental practice below comes from public licensing and business records, counted whether or not it appears in this site’s directory. The findings are what the numbers came back with, not a view we formed first and then looked for support for.
Dental practices with more than one provider: 26%
That is the lowest of the 22 California markets we measure.
Share of dental practices with more than one licensed provider on record. Solo dental practices often have narrower hours and longer waits for a first appointment. Measured over 7 of 27. We could check 82% of Merced dental practices for this.
Median Google reviews: 178
That is 54 higher than the 124 typical of the 21 other California markets we measure.
The middle number of Google reviews among dental practices that have any. A low median usually means a market of smaller or newer dental practices. We could check 97% of Merced dental practices for this.
Dental practices per 100,000 residents: 36.8
That is 8.1 higher than the 28.7 typical of the 31 other California markets we measure.
Dental practices counted here divided by the town's own population, expressed per 100,000 residents. Dental practices are counted where they sit, and people routinely drive to the next town, so a town centre surrounded by suburbs reads high and the suburbs read low. Read it as how concentrated dental practices are in this town, not how easy it is for residents to be seen.
No dental practice lists Oral surgeon
No dental practice in Merced lists Oral surgeon, which appears in 27 of the other 29 California markets we measure.
Practices offering each specialty. General dentists handle most routine care; specialists handle referrals such as root canals, braces, and oral surgery.
What this does not tell you
- Insurance figures describe what offices publish, not what they will accept. Confirm your own plan with the office before you book.
- Counts say nothing about price, wait time, or whether an office is taking new patients.
- A group practice with six dentists and a solo office each count as one.
How this was measured
- What was counted
- 33 dental practices with a Merced address in public licensing and business records. 29 of them meet this site’s bar to appear in the directory; the findings above are measured over all of them.
- Residents
- 89,766, US Census Bureau acs5-2023.
- Measured
- August 30, 2026. We keep every earlier measurement rather than overwriting it, so a later report can say what changed.
- How complete this is
- 92% of the measures this vertical tracks had enough coverage to report here. The rest are withheld rather than estimated, and are listed on the data page.
- Method version
- 1.0
Where the records come from
- American Dentists practice directory (production migration export) — 1,343 records, retrieved August 26, 2026.