Merrydale, LA

Census Place

2024 Population

9,490

US Senator

Bill Cassidy

Republican Party

US Senator

John Kennedy

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

38.8

8.99% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

30%

0.463% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$41,500

1.16% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$136,100

Population & Diversity

Merrydale, LA is home to a population of 9.49k people, from which 99.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.06% of Merrydale, LA residents were born outside of the country (101 people).

In 2024, there were 71.8 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.19k people) in Merrydale, LA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 128 Black or African American (Hispanic) and 92 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.7%

2024 Citizenship

99.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.7% of Merrydale, LA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Merrydale, LA was 99.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Merrydale, LA

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
9.19k ± 1.63k
Black or African American (Hispanic)
128 ± 192
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
92 ± 91

1.73%

Hispanic Population

164 people

1.73% of the people in Merrydale, LA are hispanic (164 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Merrydale, LA 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 Louisiana.

Most Common Origin

Honduras
48,818 ± 5,396 people
Mexico
27,788 ± 4,080 people
Vietnam
17,351 ± 3,228 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Louisiana was Honduras, the natal country of 48,818 Louisiana residents, followed by Mexico with 27,788 and Vietnam with 17,351.

Foreign-Born Population

1.06%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

101 people

0.754%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

69 people

As of 2024, 1.06% of Merrydale, LA residents (101 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 Merrydale, LA was 0.754%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
202 ± 303
Gulf War (1990s)
148 ± 146
Vietnam
52 ± 49

Merrydale, LA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.36 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Merrydale, LA.

Economy

The economy of Merrydale, LA employs 3.17k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Merrydale, LA were Health Care & Social Assistance (726 people), Retail Trade (532 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (397 people), and the highest paying industries were Construction ($60,819), Educational Services ($53,352), and Transportation & Warehousing ($51,816).

Employment

Occupations

3.17k

2024 Value

± 688

10.5%

1 Year growth

± 28.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Merrydale, LA grew at a rate of 10.5%, from 2.87k employees to 3.17k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Merrydale, LA, are Healthcare Support Occupations (389 people), Transportation Occupations (265 people), and Management Occupations (253 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Merrydale, LA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Louisiana (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

3.17k

2024 Value

± 688

10.5%

1 Year growth

± 28.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Merrydale, LA grew at a rate of 10.5%, from 2.87k employees to 3.17k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Merrydale, LA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (726 people), Retail Trade (532 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (397 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Merrydale, LA, though some of these residents may live in Merrydale, LA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$36,129

Median earning men ± $2,002

$35,129

Median earning women ± $10,450

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Construction ($54,697), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($51,651), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($52,115), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($35,994), and Retail Trade ($35,962).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Merrydale, LA was $136,100 in 2024, which is 0.409 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $124,300 to $136,100, a 9.49% increase. The homeownership rate in Merrydale, LA is 73.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Merrydale, LA have an average commute time of 26.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Merrydale, LA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$136,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$26,517

$2,486

Median Property Taxes

±$561

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 Merrydale, LA the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

73.7%

Homeownership

2024

72.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 73.7% of the housing units in Merrydale, LA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 76.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Merrydale, LA 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.

$41,500

Median Household Income

± $20,680

3.37k

Number of Households

± 711

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.37k households in Merrydale, LA declined from $41,500 from the previous year's value of $41,986.

The following chart displays the households in Merrydale, LA 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Merrydale, LA is from Louisiana.

0.464

2024 Wage GINI in Louisiana

0.465

2023 Wage GINI in Louisiana

In 2024, the income inequality in Louisiana was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.265% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Louisiana was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Louisiana in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (55.5%)
Carpooled (32.9%)
Worked At Home (9.97%)

In 2024, 55.5% of workers in Merrydale, LA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (32.9%) and those who worked at home (9.97%).

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

26.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Merrydale, LA have a longer commute time (26.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Merrydale, LA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

30% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Merrydale, LA (2.85k out of 9.49k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Merrydale, LA is Black, 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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