Merkel, TX

Census Place

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2024 Population
2,699
US Senator
John Cornyn
Republican Party
US Senator
Ted Cruz
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
35.4
2.21% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
11.4%
21.2% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$73,500
17.8% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$115,100
16.3% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
1,231
4.86% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Merkel, TX reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

100% of the residents in Merkel, TX are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Merkel, TX was $115,100, and the homeownership rate was 73%.

Most people in Merkel, TX drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 27.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Merkel, TX was 2 cars per household.

United StatesTexasTaylor County, TXAbilene, TXWest Central Texas COG--Taylor County, Abilene City PUMA, TX

Population & Diversity

Merkel, TX is home to a population of 2.7k people, from which 100% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.89% of Merkel, TX residents were born outside of the country (105 people).

In 2024, there were 7.42 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.93k people) in Merkel, TX than any other race or ethnicity. There were 260 Other (Hispanic) and 198 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

100%
2024 Citizenship
100%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 100% of Merkel, TX residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Merkel, TX was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been maintaining.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Merkel, TX compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Merkel, TX
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    1.93k ± 364
  2. Other (Hispanic)
    260 ± 144
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    198 ± 189
19%
Hispanic Population
514 people

In 2024, there were 7.42 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.93k people) in Merkel, TX than any other race or ethnicity. There were 260 Other (Hispanic) and 198 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

19% of the people in Merkel, TX are hispanic (514 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Merkel, TX as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Texas.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    2,397,739 ± 36,447 people
  2. India
    325,248 ± 13,925 people
  3. El Salvador
    221,729 ± 11,517 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Texas was Mexico, the natal country of 2,397,739 Texas residents, followed by India with 325,248 and El Salvador with 221,729.

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Foreign-Born Population

3.89%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
105 people
4.18%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
110 people

As of 2024, 3.89% of Merkel, TX residents (105 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Merkel, TX was 4.18%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Merkel, TX compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    86 ± 55
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    13 ± 21
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    11 ± 20

Merkel, TX has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 6.62 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Merkel, TX.

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Economy

The economy of Merkel, TX employs 1.23k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Merkel, TX were Educational Services (219 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (159 people), and Construction (110 people), and the highest paying industries were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($133,444), Utilities ($120,511), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($90,833).

Employment

Occupations

1.23k
2024 Value
± 229
4.86%
1 Year growth
± 25.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Merkel, TX grew at a rate of 4.86%, from 1.17k employees to 1.23k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Merkel, TX, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (173 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (141 people), and Management Occupations (131 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Merkel, TX.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Texas.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Texas (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

1.23k
2024 Value
± 229
4.86%
1 Year growth
± 25.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Merkel, TX grew at a rate of 4.86%, from 1.17k employees to 1.23k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Merkel, TX, are Educational Services (219 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (159 people), and Construction (110 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Merkel, TX, though some of these residents may live in Merkel, TX and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$55,802
Median earning men ± $2,284
$28,906
Median earning women ± $9,828

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($133,444), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($120,057), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($66,875).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($33,661), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($30,250), and Retail Trade ($27,250).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Texas.
Y-Axis
4.59%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 13.8M people employed in Texas. This represents a 4.59% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 9.63%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Texas.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Texas went to Donald J. Trump with 56.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Jill Stein (0.726%).

John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are the senators currently representing the state of Texas. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Texas is currently represented by 38 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Merkel, TX. Showing the available data for Texas.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (56.1%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (42.5%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Jill Stein (0.726%)
    Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Texas went to Donald J. Trump with 56.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Jill Stein (0.726%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Texas for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Texas

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Texas.
John Cornyn
Senator from Texas2
Assumed office on December 2, 2002
Phil Gramm resigned (effective November 30, 2002) a few weeks before the expiration of his term in hopes that his successor, fellow Republican John Cornyn, could gain seniority over other newly elected senators. However, Cornyn did not gain additional seniority due to a 1980 Rules Committee policy.
Ted Cruz
Senator from Texas1
Assumed office on January 3, 2013

John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are the senators currently representing Texas.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Texas over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Merkel, TX was $115,100 in 2024, which is 0.346 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $99,000 to $115,100, a 16.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Merkel, TX is 73%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Merkel, TX have an average commute time of 27.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Merkel, TX is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$115,100
Median Property Value 2024
±$43,340
$670
Median Property Taxes
±$147

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Merkel, TX the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Merkel, TX compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

73%
Homeownership
2024
50.2%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 73% of the housing units in Merkel, TX were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 77.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Merkel, TX compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$73,500
Median Household Income
± $24,261
918
Number of Households
± 172

In 2024, the median household income of the 918 households in Merkel, TX grew to $73,500 from the previous year's value of $62,368.

The following chart displays the households in Merkel, TX distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Merkel, TX is from Texas.
0.475
2023 Wage GINI in Texas
0.476
2022 Wage GINI in Texas

In 2023, the income inequality in Texas was 0.475 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.208% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Texas was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Texas in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Texas across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (80%)
  2. Carpooled (10.6%)
  3. Worked At Home (4.96%)

In 2024, 80% of workers in Merkel, TX drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.6%) and those who worked at home (4.96%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

27.3 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Merkel, TX have a longer commute time (27.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 8.38% of the workforce in Merkel, TX have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Merkel, TX compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Merkel, TX distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Merkel, TX have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

11.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Merkel, TX (303 out of 2.65k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 65 - 74 and then Males 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Merkel, TX is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

89.9% of the population of Merkel, TX has health coverage, with 50.1% on employee plans, 15.8% on Medicaid, 12% on Medicare, 9.29% on non-group plans, and 2.72% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Texas see 1,657 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,657 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1590 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 590 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.4% were men and 53.6% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 30.4% under 18 years, 19.8% between 18 and 34 years, 34% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.4% were men and 53.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

10.1%
Uninsured
50.1%
Employer Coverage
15.8%
Medicaid
12%
Medicare
9.29%
Non-Group
2.72%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Merkel, TX declined by 0.483% from 10.1% to 10.1%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Merkel, TX changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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