Merriam, KS

Census Place

2024 Population

11,085

US Senator

Jerry Moran

Republican Party

US Senator

Roger Marshall

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.3

3.42% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

5.98%

27.4% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$73,600

2.7% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$263,300

Population & Diversity

Merriam, KS is home to a population of 11.1k people, from which 98.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 7.23% of Merriam, KS residents were born outside of the country (801 people).

In 2024, there were 10.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (8.47k people) in Merriam, KS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 822 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 516 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.5%

2024 Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.5% of Merriam, KS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Merriam, KS was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Merriam, KS

White (Non-Hispanic)
8.47k ± 433
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
822 ± 370
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
516 ± 124

10.8%

Hispanic Population

1.19k people

10.8% of the people in Merriam, KS are hispanic (1.19k people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Kansas.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
84,373 ± 7,029 people
India
14,412 ± 2,940 people
Vietnam
10,201 ± 2,475 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kansas was Mexico, the natal country of 84,373 Kansas residents, followed by India with 14,412 and Vietnam with 10,201.

Foreign-Born Population

7.23%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

801 people

6.93%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

765 people

As of 2024, 7.23% of Merriam, KS residents (801 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 Merriam, KS was 6.93%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
218 ± 140
Vietnam
175 ± 76
Gulf War (1990s)
99 ± 76

Merriam, KS has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.25 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Merriam, KS.

Economy

The economy of Merriam, KS employs 6.18k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Merriam, KS were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,019 people), Retail Trade (916 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (754 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($79,083), Public Administration ($74,952), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($71,646).

Employment

Occupations

6.18k

2024 Value

± 529

2.28%

1 Year growth

± 11.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Merriam, KS grew at a rate of 2.28%, from 6.04k employees to 6.18k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Merriam, KS, are Sales & Related Occupations (608 people), Management Occupations (551 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (527 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Merriam, KS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kansas (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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

6.18k

2024 Value

± 529

2.28%

1 Year growth

± 11.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Merriam, KS grew at a rate of 2.28%, from 6.04k employees to 6.18k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Merriam, KS, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,019 people), Retail Trade (916 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (754 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Merriam, KS, though some of these residents may live in Merriam, KS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$57,888

Median earning men ± $10,546

$44,701

Median earning women ± $6,085

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($93,816), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($81,964), and Public Administration ($76,949).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($72,375), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($64,537), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($51,507).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Merriam, KS was $263,300 in 2024, which is 0.791 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $242,400 to $263,300, a 8.62% increase. The homeownership rate in Merriam, KS is 60.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Merriam, KS have an average commute time of 22.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Merriam, KS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$263,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,529

$3,234

Median Property Taxes

±$371

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 Merriam, KS the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

60.7%

Homeownership

2024

67.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60.7% of the housing units in Merriam, KS were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 61.9%.

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

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$73,600

Median Household Income

± $3,614

5.32k

Number of Households

± 514

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.32k households in Merriam, KS grew to $73,600 from the previous year's value of $71,665.

The following chart displays the households in Merriam, KS 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 $60k - $75k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Merriam, KS is from Kansas.

0.459

2024 Wage GINI in Kansas

0.458

2023 Wage GINI in Kansas

In 2024, the income inequality in Kansas was 0.459 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.185% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Kansas was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kansas in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (72.6%)
Worked At Home (19.6%)
Carpooled (4.51%)

In 2024, 72.6% of workers in Merriam, KS drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (19.6%) and those who carpooled to work (4.51%).

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.

Commute Time

22.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Merriam, KS have a shorter commute time (22.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.87% of the workforce in Merriam, KS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

5.98% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Merriam, KS (655 out of 11k 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 Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 65 - 74 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Merriam, KS 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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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