Ballico is a census-designated place[4] in Merced County, California, United States.

[2] It is located 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Atwater[5] at an elevation of 151 feet (46 m).

Ballico is located in the northern part of Merced County, just north of where the Santa Fe railroad (the original San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad line) crosses the Merced River.

The name is a portmanteau of Ballantine Company, owner of the ranch on which the town was built.

[5] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2), all of it land.

There were 132 housing units at an average density of 43.7 per square mile (16.9/km2), of which 77 (63.6%) were owner-occupied, and 44 (36.4%) were occupied by renters.