Delhi, California

Delhi (/ˈdɛlhaɪ/ DEL-hy) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Merced County in the U.S. state of California. Delhi is 18 miles (29 km) west-northwest of Merced,^[4] at an elevation of 118 feet (36 m).^[2] According to the 2020 census, the population was 10,656.^[3]

Delhi, California
Census designated place
Location in Merced County and the state of California
Delhi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 37°25′56″N 120°46′43″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Merced
Area [1]
• Total	3.51 sq mi (9.09 km2)
• Land	3.51 sq mi (9.09 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation [2]	118 ft (36 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	10,656
• Density	3,035.90/sq mi (1,172.01/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	95315
Area code	209
FIPS code	06-18464
GNIS feature IDs	1658404, 2408654

Geography

Delhi is located in northern Merced County at 37°25′56″N 120°46′43″W.^[2] It lies northwest across the Merced River from Livingston. Hilmar is to the west, Turlock is to the north, and Ballico is to the east.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Delhi CDP has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²), all of it land.^[1]

Government

Delhi is the largest unincorporated town in Merced County. The Delhi Municipal Advisory Council advises the Merced County Board of Supervisors concerning any services which are or may be provided within the boundaries of the Delhi School District by the County or other local governmental agencies. It has its own unified school district with three K-through-8th schools, (El Capitan Elementary, Schendel Elementary, and Harmony School), one high school, (Delhi Educational Park), and one continuation high school, (Shattuck Educational Park). Delhi's Harmony School opened in 2005. Delhi is in the Turlock Irrigation District, which provides farm water and electrical service. The Delhi County Water District provides drinking water and sewer service.

State and federal representation

In the California State Legislature, Delhi is in the 4th senatorial district, represented by Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil, and in the 27th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Esmeralda Soria.^[5]

In the United States House of Representatives, Delhi is in California's 13th congressional district, represented by Democrat Adam Gray.^[6]

Education and Government

Delhi High School, part of the Delhi Unified School District, offers the DMAS (Delhi Medical Academy of Science) program. The DMAS program provides students with insights into the medical field, helping them become more prepared for potential careers in healthcare.^[7] California State University, Stanislaus works with the program to provide college level learning experiences.^[8]

In the United States House of Representatives, Delhi is in California's 13th congressional district, represented by Democrat Adam Gray as of January 2025.

Congressman Jim Costa meeting with students from Delhi Middle School in 2020

History

The Delhi post office opened in 1912, closed in 1918, and reopened in 1920.^[4]

The building housing the New Beginnings Christian Center, a Delhi church, was built for display at the World's Fair in San Francisco, in 1939. The building was to be torn down after the fair, but Enoch Christoffersen, who was a mayor of Turlock, California, said it was too nice a church so it was bought and the structure was disassembled and shipped by train to Delhi, where it was re-assembled at its current location at 9711 N. Stephens Street.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1960	1,175		—
1970	2,063		75.6%
1980	2,832		37.3%
1990	3,280		15.8%
2000	8,022		144.6%
2010	10,755		34.1%
2020	10,656		−0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1960[10] 1970[11] 1980[12] 1990[13] 2000[14] 2010[15]

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Delhi had a population of 10,656. The population density was 3,035.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,172.2/km²). The racial makeup of Delhi was 27.6% White, 0.5% African American, 2.8% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 46.3% from other races, and 19.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 79.7% of the population.^[16]

The whole population lived in households. There were 2,757 households, out of which 52.2% included children under the age of 18, 61.3% were married-couple households, 5.9% were cohabiting couple households, 18.2% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.5% had a male householder with no partner present. 10.6% of households were one person, and 4.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.87.^[16] There were 2,354 families (85.4% of all households).^[17]

The age distribution was 30.1% under the age of 18, 11.1% aged 18 to 24, 27.3% aged 25 to 44, 22.5% aged 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males.^[16]

There were 2,840 housing units at an average density of 809.1 units per square mile (312.4 units/km²), of which 2,757 (97.1%) were occupied. Of these, 70.4% were owner-occupied, and 29.6% were occupied by renters.^[16]

2023 estimates

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 37.7% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 21.3% spoke only English at home, 70.5% spoke Spanish, 5.8% spoke other Indo-European languages, 1.0% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.3% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 63.8% were high school graduates and 14.1% had a bachelor's degree.^[18]

The median household income was $66,306, and the per capita income was $24,906. About 12.9% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line.^[19]