Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 2,733 residents, it is a town in Virginia.
Hazard risk is its strong suit (A+). Merrimac ranks 107th of 249 in Virginia, with an A− overall. On that grade it does better than 77% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost of living: the typical home is worth about , years of the Blacksburg metro’s $66K median household income. Earhart House and Montgomery Primitive Baptist Church is on the National Register of Historic Places. 35% of residents are 65 or older in the town, where Virginia’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 18%. Merrimac's schools rank ahead of 79% of Virginia towns. Its average trip to work is 13 minutes, against 27 minutes in Virginia’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Merrimac beats most towns.
2,133 counted in 2010 and 2,858 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Merrimac is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2016 and 4 maps from 1932 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Merrimac is unincorporated, so Montgomery County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Merrimac.
Merrimac sends most of its workers to Blacksburg and beyond, but it has household incomes well below the Virginia norm.
47% of Merrimac’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 23%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 100% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median household earns $53,611, against $93,170 across Virginia, one input to its C+ for jobs and income. Only 26.6% of households own their home, against 67.3% across Virginia.
Virginia has 42% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 46%. Only 2 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of residents 65 or older than Merrimac. On top of that, the midpoint age for Merrimac comes to 43.7 years.
| Merrimac | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 35% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 7.7% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 43.7 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 44% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.7 points. Across Virginia, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Merrimac | VA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.3% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.4% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.1% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.2% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.1% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.5% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 20.9% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7% | 8.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.8% | 23.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 19% | 17.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 3.3% | 7.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.5% | 23.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 29.5% | 18.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
Among adults in Merrimac, 15% binge drink. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Merrimac is ahead of Virginia on 7 and behind on 3. Two figures for adults locally: 26% have obesity, 9.7% smoke cigarettes.
| Merrimac | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 36% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Merrimac | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.1% | 7.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8% | 10.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.5% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Merrimac has 214 jobs for its 874 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 518 in 2013 to 214.
Just 1% of Merrimac’s working residents have a job in town. This Virginia town had 214 jobs in 2023, down 304 from 2013. In Merrimac, the middle household income is $54,000. The top destinations are Blacksburg (39%), Christiansburg (12%) and Roanoke (6%).
| Merrimac | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Merrimac’s midsummer high stands at 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Trails total 0.4 miles in 1 park or preserve. Merrimac’s trail network density comes in at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Merrimac | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Huckleberry Trail | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Among 253 Virginia towns, just 5 have a lower home-ownership rate than Merrimac. The town’s typical rent is $1,101 a month.
| Merrimac | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 27% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,101 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Merrimac. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi Park & preserveAppalachian Trail3.0M visitors a year
2 mi Stadium & arenaLane Stadium
17 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
13 mi LakeMountain Lake
27 mi MuseumVirginia Museum of Transportation
27 mi MuseumTaubman Museum of ArtAppalachian Trail: Paulba. Original uploader was Paulbalegend at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lane Stadium: User:B, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Mountain Lake: Rolfmueller, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Virginia Museum of Transportation: Warfieldian, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Taubman Museum of Art: O Palsson, CC BY 2.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Merrimac
About 9 of every 100 Merrimac residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
Where Merrimac’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
CDP in Virginia, United States
Merrimac is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Merrimac had a population of 2,858. It is part of the Blacksburg–Christiansburg Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Montgomery County and the city of Radford.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Merrimac.
| Town | VA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimac | #107 | A− | C | — | A− | A− |
| Blacksburg | – | A− | D− | A− | A− | A− |
| Christiansburg | #144 | B | C+ | C | A− | A− |
Merrimac reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Merrimac with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Merrimac grades A− overall, better than 77% of U.S. towns and #107 of 249 in Virginia. It grades A− for health and A− for schools.
