
Los Banos ( ), alternatively Los Baños ( ), is a city in
Merced County,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, United States. It is located in the
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San JoaquÃn'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...
in
Central California
Central California is generally thought of as the middle third of the U.S. state of California, north of Southern California (which includes Los Angeles and San Diego) and south of Northern California (which includes San Francisco and San Jose, ...
, near the junction of
State Route 152 and
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
. Its population was 45,532 at the
2020 census,
up from 35,972 at the
2010 census.The city is served by
Los Banos Municipal Airport for air transport access.
Etymology
The town's
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
name ''Los Baños'' means "the baths"; it is named after a spring that feeds natural wetlands in the western San JoaquÃn Valley. Its official spelling, reflected in the name of its post office, omits the tilde of the ''
ñ'', though some signs in town show its name as Los Baños.
Geography
Los Banos is located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, southwest of
Merced
Merced (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 86,333, up ...
,
at about
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...
.
Its
coordinates
In geometry, a coordinate system is a system that uses one or more numbers, or coordinates, to uniquely determine and standardize the Position (geometry), position of the Point (geometry), points or other geometric elements on a manifold such as ...
are .
The city is at the intersection of
California State Route 152
State Route 152 (SR 152) is a state highway that runs from east to west near the middle of the U.S. state of California from State Route 1 in Watsonville to State Route 99 southeast of Merced. Its western portion (which is also known as Pache ...
and
California State Route 165. to the west is
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
, which extends north–south between Canada and Mexico. The
San Luis Reservoir and the
Diablo Range
The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges in northern California, United States. It stretches from the eastern San Francisco Bay Area at its northern end to the Salinas Valley a ...
are farther to the west.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which (1.22%) is covered by water.

Los Banos sits on the southwestern edge of extensive national and state game refuges; these wetlands support waterfowl and other wildlife habitat along a stretch of the San Joaquin River that still carries water and the
Grassland Ecological Area, home to rare
California grasslands habitat. The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex includes
San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, which includes the
Kesterson Unit, East Bear Creek, West Bear Creek, and Blue Goose Unit. Nearby are the
Merced National Wildlife Refuge and the
San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge. Fishers, hunters, birdwatchers, and other recreational users come to Los Banos year round.
Climate
Los Banos has a
semiarid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
: ''BSk'') with cool winters and hot summers. Most of the
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
falls in the winter. Gusty winds are common in the late afternoon, especially in the vicinity of nearby
Pacheco Pass
Pacheco Pass, elevation , is a low mountain pass located in the Diablo Range in southeastern Santa Clara County, California. It is the main route through the hills separating the Santa Clara Valley and the Central Valley.
As with most passes ...
.
On average, 97.1 days have highs of or higher, and 15.5 days have lows of or lower.
The record high temperature of was on July 25, 1931. A record low temperature of was on January 11, 1949, and again on December 22, 1990.
The average annual rainfall is , with an average of 47 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year recorded was 1998 with and the driest year was 2020 with . The most rainfall in one month was in March 1998. The most rainfall in 24 hours was on January 18, 1914. Although snow is rare, fell in January 1916 and fell in January 1962.
Demographics
2020
The
2020 United States census reported that Los Banos had a population of 45,532. The population density was . The racial makeup of Los Banos was 31.2%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 2.5%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 2.8%
Native American, 3.3%
Asian, 0.7%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 40.1% from
other races, and 19.4% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 73.8% of the population.
The census reported that 99.7% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.1% were institutionalized.
[
There were 12,626 households, out of which 50.7% included children under the age of 18, 54.9% were married-couple households, 8.0% were ]cohabiting
Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...
couple households, 22.2% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 14.2% of households were one person, and 7.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.6.[ There were 10,326 ]families
Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
(81.8% of all households).
The age distribution was 30.9% under the age of 18, 10.6% aged 18 to 24, 25.8% aged 25 to 44, 21.9% aged 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 31.6years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males.[
There were 13,182 housing units at an average density of , of which 12,626 (95.8%) were occupied. Of these, 60.6% were owner-occupied, and 39.4% were occupied by renters.][
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 27.6% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 47.8% spoke only English at home, 48.7% spoke ]Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
, 2.4% spoke other Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
, 1.0% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.0% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 71.1% were high school graduates and 13.2% had a bachelor's degree.
The median household income in 2023 was $70,893, and the per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
was $25,505. About 15.9% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010
At the 2010 census, Los Banos had a population of 35,972. The population density was . The racial makeup of Los Banos was 20,846 (58.0%) White, 1,354 (3.8%) African American, 512 (1.4%) Native American, 1,162 (3.2%) Asian, 134 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 10,123 (28.1%) from other races, and 1,841 (5.1%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 23,346 persons (64.9%).
The census reported that 35,791 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 103 (0.3%) lived in noninstitutionalized group quarters, and 78 (0.2%) were institutionalized.
Of the 10,259 households, 5,451 (53.1%) had children under 18 living in them, 6,018 (58.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,474 (14.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 838 (8.2%) had a male householder with no wife present, 791 were (7.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, 78 (0.8%) were same-sex married couples or partnerships, and 1,551 households (15.1%) were one person and 653 (6.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.49. There were 8,330 families (81.2% of households); the average family size was 3.84.
The age distribution was 12,102 people (33.6%) under 18, 3,703 people (10.3%) from 18 to 24, 9,596 people (26.7%) from 25 to 44, 7,494 people (20.8%) from 45 to 64, and 3,077 people (8.6%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 29.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.
The 11,375 housing units had an average density of 1,124.4 per square mile, of the occupied units 6,197 (60.4%) were owner-occupied and 4,062 (39.6%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.4%. 20,687 people (57.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 15,104 people (42.0%) lived in rental housing units.
Government
In the California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
, Los Banos is in , and in .
In the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, Los Banos is in California's 13th congressional district
California's 13th congressional district is a California's congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of California. Adam Gray, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, has represented this district since January 20 ...
, which has a Cook PVI
The Cook Partisan Voting Index, abbreviated PVI or CPVI, is a measurement of how partisan a U.S. congressional district or U.S. state is. This partisanship is indicated as lean towards either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, comp ...
of D +4 and is represented by .
As of 2025, Michael Amabile is the mayor.
History and culture
The Los Banos area was initially settled, according to Mexican land-grant records, in the 1840s. The first white settler in the area was Uriah Wood, who built his two-room cabin in 1859. The original site of Los Banos was located several miles from the current town center, about a mile and half west of the railroad near present-day Volta. The town was essentially a trading post and received its name when the post office was established and the Post Office Department designated the office "Los Banos" after the nearby creek. When the railroad arrived, Los Banos relocated to its present-day site.
The first post office opened in 1873.
Land and water rights were important to early Los Banos residents, but those rights were recognized only when the land and deed were registered. Sometimes, those rights depended on fleet footedness, as it did in the "race" between Los Banos residents Uriah Wood and Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, so ...
. Wood, whose homestead was located off of Badger Flat Road, raced Miller to the land office in Stockton to insure his claim to the land would be recognized. After crossing the San Joaquin River, Wood paid the ferryman $5 to hold the boat on the east side of the river to insure he would gain sufficient distance from Miller to ensure he would reach the land office first. Wood succeeded and the seven sections that he registered cost him only 45¢ an acre.
The centerpiece of downtown Los Banos is Henry Miller Plaza, honoring early California rancher Henry Miller. The half-oval public plaza features a monumental scale bronze arrangement of Miller with cattle. At one time in the late 19th century, Miller was the largest land owner in the United States. The success of his business monopolized the California agricultural industry, funneling resources and supplies to create his prosperous company. Centered around cattle farming, the Miller and Lux Corporation ultimately transformed the San Joaquin Valley into what can be considered as a precursor to corporate farming
Corporate farming is the practice of large-scale agriculture on farms owned or greatly influenced by large companies. This includes corporate ownership of farms and the sale of Agricultural production, agricultural products, as well as the roles o ...
and turning independent farmers into wageworkers. His company, the Miller & Lux Corporation, was headquartered in Los Banos on a site currently housing the Mexican restaurant España's and the Canal Farm Inn.
Los Banos has a long history of Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
immigrants, as do many of the nearby towns on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. This is reflected both in local restaurants and in several festivals and parades that take place during the year. There is also a significant community of Basques
The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...
. Los Banos is locally known for its annual May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...
Fair during the first week of May.
Los Banos is home to The Randall Fawcett House, a Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...
designed Usonian home.
A member of the Manson family
The Manson Family (known among its members as the Family) was a Intentional community, commune, gang, and cult led by criminal Charles Manson that was active in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group at its peak consisted of a ...
, Susan Atkins
Susan Denise Atkins (May 7, 1948 – September 24, 2009) was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family". Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California over a period ...
attended Los Banos High School, before joining the family.
Since the 1980s, the city's population has changed with a continuing influx of people who work in the San Jose/Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...
area but seek more affordable housing and slower pace of semi-rural life, a pattern seen in many other small towns within commuting distance of Silicon Valley.
* California Historical Landmark Canal Farm Inn is located at 1460 E Pacheco Blvd, Los Banos. Canal Farm Inn is a California Historical Landmarks
A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance.
Criteria
Historical significance is determined by meetin ...
, number 548.
The California Historical Landmark reads:
:''NO. 548 CANAL FARM INN – This original San Joaquin Valley ranch headquarters of California pioneer and cattle baron Henry Miller (1827–1916) was established in 1873. His farsighted planning and development in the 1870s of a vast gravity irrigation system, and the founding of Los Banos in 1889, provided the basis for this area's present stability and wealth.'' californiahistoricallandmarks.com # 548
/ref>
Notable people
* Mack Wheat, (1893–1979), was a Major League Baseball catcher from 1915 to 1921 for Brooklyn and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Education
K–12
K–12, from kindergarten to 12th grade, is an English language expression that indicates the range of years of publicly supported primary and secondary education found in the United States and Canada, which is similar to publicly supported sch ...
education is provided by the Los Banos Unified School District. In addition, the Los Banos Campus of Merced College has served community college
A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...
students since 2007.
Economy
Top employers
According to the city's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[City of Los Banos California Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2018](_blank)
/ref> the top employers in the city are:
References
External links
*
{{authority control
1907 establishments in California
Cities in Merced County, California
San Joaquin Valley
Incorporated cities and towns in California
Populated places established in 1907