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Merrill, IA
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
846
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
36.9
years ∙ half population younger than 36.9, half older
Diversity Index
5.1%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
1.4%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
Merrill is a city within Plymouth County, Iowa, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC42.720432° N, 96.251928° W
DMS42° 43′ 13.56″ N, 96° 15′ 06.94″ W
Population Density & area
1,624/sq mi
(626.2/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
59.2%
male
Male
59.2%
Female
40.8%
males per 100 females
Merrill
145.2
Plymouth County
103.8
Iowa
100.6
Nativity
1.4%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
Merrill
1.4%
Plymouth County
3.7%
Iowa
5.9%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
36.9
years ∙ half population younger than 36.9, half older
Dependency ratio
77
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Merrill
77
Plymouth County
81.2
Iowa
69.6
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| Merrill | Plymouth County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 26.8% | 25% | 22.9% |
| Working age (18-64) | 56.5% | 55.2% | 59% |
| Senior (65+) | 16.7% | 19.8% | 18.1% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 77 | 81.2 | 69.6 |
| Child dependency ratio | 47.5 | 45.3 | 38.8 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 29.5 | 35.9 | 30.7 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.
Diversity Index
5.1%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Merrill
5.1%
Plymouth County
22%
Iowa
31.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.
RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Merrill population
| Merrill | Plymouth County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.4% | 6.4% | 7.3% |
| Mexican | 0.4% | 4.8% | 5% |
| Puerto Rican | 0% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Cuban | 0% | 0% | 0.1% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 0% | 1.4% | 1.8% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 99.6% | 93.6% | 92.7% |
| One race | 99.1% | 91.6% | 89.2% |
| White | 97.4% | 88% | 82.3% |
| Black or African American | 1.1% | 2.4% | 3.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Asian | 0.7% | 0.5% | 2.5% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Some Other Race | 0% | 0% | 0.3% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 0.5% | 2% | 3.5% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
72%
family
Family
72%
Non family
28%
% family households
Merrill
72%
Plymouth County
69.1%
Iowa
61.6%
Average household size
2.47
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of Merrill population
| Merrill | Plymouth County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 343 | 10,313 | 1,315,707 |
| Average houshold size | 2.47 | 2.46 | 2.36 |
| Family households | 247 | 7,129 | 809,836 |
| Average family size | 2.93 | 2.99 | 2.98 |
| Married couple family | 217 | 5,913 | 635,347 |
| Other families | 30 | 1,216 | 174,489 |
| Male householder | 14 | 371 | 56,457 |
| Female householder | 16 | 845 | 118,032 |
| Non-family households | 96 | 3,184 | 505,871 |
| One-person households | 83 | 2,835 | 406,436 |
| Male householder | 58 | 1,401 | 193,582 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 16 | 506 | 58,028 |
| Female householder | 25 | 1,434 | 212,854 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 11 | 972 | 111,645 |
| Other living arrangements | 13 | 349 | 99,435 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
374
housing units
Merrill
374
Plymouth County
10,891
Iowa
1,437,699
Occupancy status
91.7%
occupied
Occupied
91.7%
Vacant
8.3%
vacancy rate
Merrill
8.3%
Plymouth County
5.3%
Iowa
8.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
87.2%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1955
Half of houses were built before 1955, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| Merrill | Plymouth County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 6.6 | 6.3 | 5.9 |
| 1–3 rooms | 1.6% | 6.6% | 11.8% |
| 4–6 rooms | 47.4% | 46.1% | 47.4% |
| 7+ rooms | 51.2% | 47.2% | 40.7% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 0% | 0.5% | 1.7% |
| 1 bedroom | 0.3% | 5.5% | 9.2% |
| 2 bedrooms | 31.3% | 24.8% | 27% |
| 3 bedrooms | 47.9% | 38.3% | 37.3% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 20.6% | 30.9% | 24.7% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1955 | 1972 | 1972 |
| Total housing units | 374 | 10,891 | 1,437,699 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
83.4%
owners
Renter-occupied
16.6%
Owner-occupied
83.4%
homeownership rate
Merrill
83.4%
Plymouth County
73.6%
Iowa
71.7%
Average household size
2.7
Owner-occupied
1.28
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Merrill
2.7
Plymouth County
2.59
Iowa
2.5
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Merrill | Plymouth County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 343 | 10,313 | 1,315,707 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 7% | 18.3% | 24.3% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 43.7% | 38.5% | 38.7% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 21.9% | 19% | 16.4% |
| 1999 or earlier | 27.4% | 24.2% | 20.7% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 100% | 99.1% | 98.4% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 0% | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| 1.51 or more | 0% | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 0% | 3.8% | 5.4% |
| 1 vehicle | 10.8% | 25.9% | 30.5% |
| 2 vehicles | 49% | 39.3% | 37.8% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 40.2% | 31% | 26.3% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 83.1% | 58.3% | 72.8% |
| Electricity | 16.9% | 37.5% | 24.4% |
| Solar | 0% | 0% | 0.1% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 0% | 1.1% | 0.3% |
| All other fuels | 0% | 3% | 1.8% |
| No fuel used | 0% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| No telephone service available | 0% | 0.2% | 0.8% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$166,100
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
10%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.
Financial characteristics
Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Merrill | Plymouth County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $166,100 | $228,900 | $208,000 |
| Under $100,000 | 25.1% | 13.4% | 17.8% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 41.9% | 27.9% | 30% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 24.8% | 26.6% | 23.1% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 7.3% | 24.2% | 21.3% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 0.7% | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 0% | 1.4% | 1.1% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 66.4% | 51.9% | 59.4% |
| Without a mortgage | 33.6% | 48.1% | 40.6% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $1,222 | $1,426 | $1,533 |
| Without a mortgage | $445 | $577 | $616 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $626 | $910 | $972 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
13%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Merrill
13%
Plymouth County
21.7%
Iowa
31.4%
Adults without a high school diploma
6.1%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Merrill
6.1%
Plymouth County
5.2%
Iowa
6.7%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
208
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
5.1%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| Merrill | Plymouth County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 208 | 6,045 | 784,322 |
| Nursery / preschool | 7.2% | 7.7% | 6.2% |
| K–12 | 83.7% | 79.7% | 68.4% |
| Kindergarten | 5.3% | 9.5% | 5.2% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 30.3% | 21.1% | 20.3% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 16.3% | 23.3% | 21.3% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 31.7% | 25.9% | 21.6% |
| College or graduate school | 9.1% | 12.5% | 25.4% |
| College, undergraduate | 5.8% | 10.7% | 20.8% |
| Graduate, professional school | 3.4% | 1.8% | 4.6% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 5.1% | 22.9% | 42.3% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 76% | 82.5% | 84.4% |
| Private school | 24% | 17.5% | 15.6% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
540
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| Merrill | Plymouth County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 540 | 17,506 | 2,154,149 |
| Less than 9th grade | 2.8% | 2.3% | 2.7% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 3.3% | 2.9% | 4% |
| High school diploma or GED | 43% | 37.3% | 30% |
| Some college, no degree | 27% | 20.3% | 19.7% |
| Associate's degree | 10.9% | 15.4% | 12.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13% | 21.7% | 31.4% |
| Bachelor's degree | 10% | 16.7% | 20.9% |
| Graduate or professional | 3% | 5% | 10.5% |
| High School or higher | 93.9% | 94.8% | 93.3% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$57,596
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
1.4%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| Merrill | Plymouth County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $57,596 | $51,815 | $51,106 |
| Less than high school graduate | $— | $49,848 | $35,996 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $46,750 | $43,571 | $41,528 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $61,250 | $52,500 | $47,635 |
| Bachelor's degree | $83,750 | $63,750 | $62,744 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $75,833 | $75,060 | $80,022 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 21.2% | 9.6% | 21.5% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 4.3% | 10.2% | 12.4% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 3.4% | 3.2% | 8.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 1.4% | 2.9% | 3.8% |
About Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.
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