LAMap-doton-Merrydale, 2004
Merrydale’s story
Merrydale in pictures
Census counts: 10,395 in 1990, 9,227 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1953 on.
Explore the history →MerrydaleLA
The town has 9,490 residents and lies in Louisiana.
Population
9,490
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$136K
Census ACS
Household income
$42K
median
Median age
38.8
years
Jobs based here
378
A commuter town
TownGrade
D−
#158 of 161 in LA
Is Merrydale a good place to live?
More weak spots than strong ones. Its lowest grade is for health: on CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. Overall, Merrydale earns a D−, which places it 158th of 161 in Louisiana. That leaves it better than 2% of U.S. towns. At about $136K, a typical home costs 2 years of the Baton Rouge metro’s $70K median household income. It also trails on incomes (D): the median household income is $42K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. Hazard risk is weaker too (D): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On history, just 24 of Louisiana’s 254 towns do worse.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Merrydale for work
Where Merrydale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
378jobs based in Merrydale
0%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Merrydale grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Merrydale is from typical.
HealthNear the bottom of U.S. towns on CDC estimates; The General 4.3 miles awayD−Open →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listDOpen →Jobs & income378 jobs based hereDOpen →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.6 of 20; 9.2% of households have no car; 1.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SchoolsGraded on exam and test resultsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 1% conserved landCOpen →HistoryNear the bottom of the towns comparedD−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 92° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.8; 17% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 20 attractions →Tiger Stadium and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Merrydale. Close and well known come first.
8 mi Stadium & arenaTiger Stadium
6 mi MuseumUSS Kidd
8 mi Stadium & arenaPete Maravich Assembly Center12 mi Theme parkBlue Bayou and Dixie Landin'
5 mi Zoo & aquariumBaton Rouge Zoo
6 mi MuseumShaw Center for the ArtsSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Tiger Stadium: Daniel Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Kidd: Cobatfor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pete Maravich Assembly Center: Spatms, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Baton Rouge Zoo: Kkmurray, CC BY 2.5 · Shaw Center for the Arts: UrbanPlanet BR (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
_at_Baton_Rouge,_Louisiana_(USA),_on_26_August_1988.jpg){kind=link}
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Getting set up
Moving to Merrydale: who provides what
Merrydale is unincorporated, so East Baton Rouge Parish and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDixie Electric Membership13.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBaton Rouge Water CompanyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesEast Baton Rouge ParishEast Baton Rouge Parish provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Louisiana you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereE Baton Rouge Parish Registrar of VotersEast Baton Rouge Parish; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code7081270812 99%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Merrydale.
Merrydale has homes that are cheap against local pay, has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and looks healthier within Louisiana than nationally.
HealthD−
Compared with most of Louisiana and the rest of the country, more of Merrydale’s adults sleep under 7 hours
Within Louisiana it is less healthy than 78% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
In Merrydale, nearly a quarter of adults have diabetes, above both the Louisiana town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (12%). The share of adults in Merrydale who smoke cigarettes: 22%. Only 10 of the 161 Louisiana towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Merrydale. The town does better than the Louisiana average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 21.
1%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Merrydale | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 27% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 42% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 54% | 44% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Louisiana
4 better7 too close to call21 worse
| What stands out | Merrydale | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.1% | 7.5% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.1% | 16.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 26.2% | 12.4% |
The General
4.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
21st
percentile among LA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB−
Merrydale’s schools rank ahead of 53% of Louisiana districts
The largest public high school is Glen Oaks Senior High School, with 575 students. Public schools: the East Baton Rouge Parish school district. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed.
53%of LA districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glen Oaks Park Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 415 | C |
| Glen Oaks Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 575 | D− |
| Forest Heights Academy of ExcellenceTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 409 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Natural hazards: very high risk in Merrydale, mostly inland flooding
Expected losses in Merrydale break down as 50% from inland flooding and 21% from tornadoes. Since 1978, Merrydale has seen 790 flood insurance claims paid out.
88risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHurricanes
790
paid flood claims since 1978
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Merrydale stands out in Louisiana and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
Merrydale has 378 jobs for its 3,445 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Merrydale’s typical journey to work is 27 minutes. The top destinations are Baton Rouge (45%), New Orleans (3%) and Lafayette (2%). Half of commuters travel less than 7 miles.
0%work in town
| Merrydale | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 30% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.5% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Merrydale0%
Baton Rouge45%
New Orleans3%
Lafayette2%
Metairie2%
7 mi
median commute distance
378
jobs based in Merrydale
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Merrydale’s year
January nights average 40.8°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.7°.
Its January low is 41°F. Snowfall is close to zero.
92°summer high
| Merrydale | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 41°F | 42°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 92°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter43–64°
Spring57–79°
Summer72–91°
Fall58–80°
Nov 26
typical first frost
Feb 25
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC
Open space protected for good: 1.2% of Merrydale
For Merrydale, the density of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile. Trails total 0.2 miles in 1 park or preserve. Parks and preserves in the town: one, of 4 acres.
1.2%conserved
| Merrydale | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
1.2%
conserved · 33 of 2,709 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lanier Drive Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade C
The median home in Merrydale sells for about $120K
At 2 years of the Baton Rouge metro’s $70K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 89% of Louisiana towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living.
The going rate for rent in Merrydale is $1,311 a month. On the market here: a median 22 days to sell. Sellers in Merrydale got 92.9% of the asking price, typically.
$120Kmedian sale price
| Merrydale | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,311 a month | $989 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 68% | 73% |
Market temperature
22
days on market
92.9%
sale-to-list price
5
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Merrydale
17pages on Merrydale
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Merrydale
Baton Rouge Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Baton Rouge4 mi$4,321 in-state tuitionSouthern University and A & M CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Baton Rouge5.2 mi$9,922 in-state tuitionSouthern University Law CenterUniversity or college · Public · Baton Rouge5.4 mi
About 4 of every 100 Merrydale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
About Merrydale
Census-designated place in Louisiana, United States
Merrydale is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Merrydale had a population of 9,227. It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,200 ft
Merrydale’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Merrydale.
Baton RougeMerrydale
How the neighbors grade
| Town | LA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrydale | #158 | D− | C | — | B− | D− |
| Baton Rouge | #105 | C− | C+ | — | B− | C− |
Merrydale and Baton Rouge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Merrydale with a neighbor →
Questions about Merrydale
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Merrydale, LA a good place to live?
Merrydale grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #158 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Merrydale, LA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $136,000, 36% below the Louisiana typical home.