Economic Impact

UC Merced has infused nearly $3 billion into California’s economy since its inception — including more than $1.6 billion in the San Joaquin Valley — in salaries, goods and construction awards.  

Nearly 300 UC Merced employees will begin moving into the new Downtown Campus Center at 18th and N streets in January, and local business owners are taking note.

Thad Raczkowski, co-owner of Little Oven Pizza, is thinking about a move. His shop on Main Street has been so successful, he’s eyeing a piece of property down the road that would enlarge Little Oven’s footprint.

“You can directly connect it to the Downtown Campus Center,” Raczkowski said. “It has brought a lot of attention to downtown.”

A full-length documentary highlighting the relationship between water, food security and, ultimately, global security, features UC Merced researchers and is scheduled to premiere Sept. 14 in downtown Merced.

The University of California, Merced, will take a significant step toward establishing a permanent presence in downtown Merced today (June 8), when it breaks ground on its Downtown Campus Center, a three-story administrative facility to be built on the corner of 18th and N streets.

UC Merced recently joined the ranks of six other UCs and 70 other universities around the country when it w

Kopi's Hometown Connections, a popular series of features on KMPH Fox 26 in Fresno, recently visited Merced to highlight the city's many successes, including the rapid growth of its university. Kopi spoke with UC Merced's Richard Cummings about the ambitious, international award-winning Merced 2020 Project and the new Downtown Campus Center.

UC Merced marked the end of the structural

UC Merced is taking steps to fight hunger and tackle food waste on campus and across Merced County.

UC Merced’s share of $22 million in state funds through Assembly Bill 2664 will help the campus fulfill some of its primary goals: transforming the region economically and providing people with greater opportunity.

Each of the 10 UC campuses is receiving $2.2 million in one-time funding from AB 2664, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Expansion, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last fall.

Even before its unprecedented expansion through the Merced 2020 Project, the University of California, Merced, has directly contributed more than $1.4 billion to the San Joaquin Valley economy to date, and more than $2.6 billion to the state’s economy, according to the university’s annual Economic Impact Report.