C.1922. S. Rex Black, overlooking Merrill, near Klamath Falls, Oregon, 1922
Merrill’s story
130 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1922.
- 1896Merrill is settled
MerrillOR
A town of 865, settled in 1896.
Photo: Snackateria · CC BY 2.0
Population
865
2025 Census estimate · +0.2% since 2020
Typical home
$238K
+2.9% in a year
Household income
$57K
median
Median age
42.0
years
Jobs based here
160
A commuter town
Is Merrill a good place to live?
Merrill has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
865 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Merrill: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Merrill, and how to reach them.
PowerPacific Power15.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMerrill Water DepartmentNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Merrill’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Oregon you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereKlamath County Clerk, Elections OfficeKlamath County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019
ZIP code9763397633 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Merrill.
Housing
The median rent in Merrill is lower than in most of Oregon or the rest of the country
Home values are up 2.9% over the year to September 2026. The share of households in Merrill who live in a home they own: 64%.
$238KZillow home value
| Merrill | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $678 a month | $1,414 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 65% | 73% |
Typical home value
Merrill$238K
Oregon$493K
+2.9%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Schools
The schools Merrill’s kids attend
Its one school is below. Public schools: Klamath County SD. 184 students attend Merrill’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrill Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 184 | C |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
With 0.6 jobs for every working resident, most of Merrill’s workers commute out
The share of residents in Merrill who live below the poverty line is 23%, where Oregon’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. For most workers, Merrill is a place to come home to: only 6% work in town. The town had 160 jobs in 2023, down 74 from 2013. The top destinations are Klamath Falls (22%), Altamont (8%) and Medford (4%).
6%work in town
| Merrill | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.9% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Merrill6%
Klamath Falls22%
Altamont8%
Medford4%
Bend3%
17 mi
median commute distance
160
jobs based in Merrill
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: high risk in Merrill, mostly inland flooding
One declared disaster, in 2020, has brought federal aid to Merrill households. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 73% of U.S. communities.
73risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesAvalanches
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Merrill’s year
Summer afternoons peak near 86° in July, and January nights bottom out around 22°; snowfall runs to about 23 inches a winter. The seasons in Merrill: chilly winters, warm summers, with very little rain.
23″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–43°
Spring31–59°
Summer45–82°
Fall32–64°
Sep 14
typical first frost
Jun 6
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Merrill is
CDC measures, 26 in all: Merrill beats Oregon on 1 and trails on 4. The share of adults in Merrill who have obesity is 38%, against 35% in Oregon’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. In Merrill, 16% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Also worth knowing: only 10 of the 143 Oregon towns we compare have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Merrill.
| Merrill | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 8.5% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 20% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 21% | 25% |
26 measures vs. Oregon
1 better21 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Merrill | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.5% | 8.9% |
| More uninsured adults | 15.6% | 8.5% |
Sky Lakes Medical Center
18.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Merrill
18pages on Merrill
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Merrill
About 5 of every 100 Merrill residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oregon.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Merrill for work
Where Merrill’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
160jobs based in Merrill
6%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Merrill
City in Oregon, United States
Merrill is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Merrill had a population of 821. Merrill is an agricultural area and is home to an annual Potato Festival. The area was also part of the Klamath Basin water crisis pitting agricultural interests against endangered species water requirements, tribal interests, and environmentalists. Merrill was the birthplace and boyhood home of Carl Barks, the Disney comics artist who created Scrooge McDuck, among other characters. It is home to the Raiders of Lost River Jr./Sr. High School.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1903
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,072 ft
- ZIP code
- 97633
- Area code
- 541
Questions about Merrill
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Merrill, OR a good place to live?
Merrill has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Merrill, OR known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Carl Barks and Della Martin Roy.