Merkel, TX, Doug 'Lieutenant E.F. Beale' Baum and the Texas Camel Corps Go to School, 2011, 2011
Merkel’s story
143 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1883Merkel is settled
MerkelTX
A town of 2,496, settled in 1883. A typical home costs 3 years of the Abilene metro’s $67K median household income.
Photo: Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas · CC BY 2.0
Population
2,496
2025 Census estimate · +0.1% since 2020
Typical home
$204K
+8.7% in a year
Household income
$74K
median
Median age
35.4
years
Jobs based here
897
Balanced
Is Merkel a good place to live?
Merkel’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a C− for health. Merkel's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 81% of U.S. towns. Merkel has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Merkel stand out
Where Merkel beats most towns.
How Merkel grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Merkel is from typical.
HealthHendrick Medical Center 16.3 miles awayC−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →SafetyB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 39% of U.S. communities; hail tops the listBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.8 of 20; 1.9% of households have no car; 2.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Jobs & income$74K median household incomeBOpen →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trailsCOpen →History1 notable person born hereC+Open →Civic life3.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.4; 12% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Merkel: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Merkel, and how to reach them.
PowerTaylor Electric Coop16.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Merkel water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Merkel’s trash rules yet
Register to voteIn personTexas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTaylor County Early Voting ClerkTaylor County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7953679536 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Merkel.
HealthC−
On CDC estimates, Merkel is less healthy than 79% of U.S. towns
The share of adults in Merkel who say their health is fair or poor is 24%, near the Texas town median (24%) and above the median of U.S. towns (19%). This Texas town does better than the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and worse on 10. Also worth knowing: among adults locally, 74% had a checkup this year.
21%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Merkel | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Texas
1 better20 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Merkel | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 16.2% | 19.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 5.7% |
Hendrick Medical Center
16.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB−
Public schools in Merkel fall behind 51% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Merkel ISD. Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
49%of TX districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merkel ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 563 | B+ |
| Merkel H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 281 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A−
The typical home in Merkel: about $204K
Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 8.7% in value. Merkel’s median rent stands at $1,058 a month, where Texas’ towns sit at $1,208 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. 73% of Merkel households are owner-occupiers.
$204KZillow home value
| Merkel | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,058 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 69% | 73% |
Typical home value
Merkel$204K
Texas$296K
+8.7%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SafetyB+
Merkel is safer than two in three U.S. towns, by crime per resident
Merkel’s violent crime rate is 0.8 per 1,000 residents. Its level of property crime is 7.6 per 1,000 residents.
67%of U.S. towns report more crimeB+Safety Grade
| Merkel | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.6 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Merkel0.8
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Merkel7.6
Texas18.1
U.S.15.5
67th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
2
violent crimes reported in 2025
19
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
Expect mild winters and hot summers in Merkel
The typical July afternoon high for Merkel comes to 96°F.
2″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter34–59°
Spring52–78°
Summer70–94°
Fall53–78°
Nov 3
typical first frost
Apr 2
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
About two in five of Merkel’s working residents commute to Abilene
Since 2013, Merkel has added 374 jobs, to 897 in 2023. A fifth of working residents work locally here. The top destinations are Abilene (38%), Dallas (2%) and Fort Worth (2%). Half of commuters travel less than 17 miles.
20%work in town
| Merkel | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 12% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Merkel20%
Abilene38%
Dallas2%
Fort Worth2%
Austin2%
17 mi
median commute distance
897
jobs based in Merkel
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 42% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Low risk in Merkel, with hail at the top
Of the losses FEMA expects in Merkel, 49% come from hail and 26% from inland flooding. Compared with just over three fifths of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is lower. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Merkel after 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2021.
39risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HailInland floodingTornadoes
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsC
0% of Merkel is conserved land
Across 1 park or preserve: 0.2 miles of trail. For Merkel, the trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile. One park or preserve covers 4 acres locally.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,785 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 5 attractions →Abilene Zoological Gardens and 2 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Merkel. Close and well known come first.
19 mi Zoo & aquariumAbilene Zoological Gardens225K visitors a year
16 mi MuseumThe Grace Museum60K visitors a year
17 mi MuseumBuffalo Gap Historic VillageSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Abilene Zoological Gardens: Keithimus (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Grace Museum: Keithimus (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Buffalo Gap Historic Village: Renelibrary, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Merkel
20pages on Merkel
The big questions
SchoolsB−Behind 51% of TX districts · 3 schoolsSafetyB+0.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC−Better than TX on 1 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingA−$204K typical home · up 8.7% in a yearWork & commuteB$74K median household income · 897 jobs hereNatural hazardsBFEMA risk higher than 39% of U.S. communities · hail
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Merkel; the nearest are
McMurry UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Abilene15.5 mi$32,340 tuitionWestern Texas CollegeCommunity college · Public · Snyder54.6 mi$3,300 in-state tuitionAngelo State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · San Angelo75.9 mi$8,460 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Merkel residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Merkel
City in Taylor County, Texas, United States
Merkel is a city in Taylor County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,471 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Abilene metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,870 ft
- ZIP code
- 79536
- Area code
- 325
Questions about Merkel
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Merkel, TX expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.