Merrick County, Nebraska Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Merrick County, NE Population Density Map and Area Scores

Area Score

Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.

  • B
    Health Around average
  • B
    Income Around average
  • D
    Education Well below average
    Less educated than 79% of counties in Nebraska

Source: Map AI Methodology

Merrick County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Merrick County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Population 7,724 1,978,686 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 15.6 25.6 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -0.11% 0.63% 0.59%
Median age 41.2 38.3 37.3
Households 3,206 797,835 130,235,071

Population in Merrick County grew by 0.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 7,724 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Merrick County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Merrick County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.0% of residents. That is 3.7 points above Nebraska as a whole.

Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Nebraska, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.

Male and female share

Women are 49.4% of the people living in Merrick County and men 50.6%.

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7,724

100% of everyone living in Merrick County

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Economy

Merrick County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.

Metric Merrick County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $69,565 $76,615 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 4.21% 4.27% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.0% 3.0% 5.2%

The median household income in Merrick County is about 9% lower than in Nebraska.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Merrick County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $122,916 $175,282 $248,835
Median rent $749 $1,071 $1,407
Homeownership rate 82.2% 66.5% 65.2%

The median home price in Merrick County is about 13.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $749 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Merrick County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 142 hours, about 5.9 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Merrick County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 17.1 17.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 34.2 34.0 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 142 142 187
Estimated yearly cost $4,417 $4,390 $5,790
Work from home 5.9% 11.1% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 2,320 5,179 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 587 691 1,355

Fastest commutes among counties in Nebraska: Hooker County (7.4 min), Cherry County (8.0 min), Box Butte County (8.0 min).
Slowest: Cass County (28.0 min), Banner County (27.2 min), Saunders County (26.9 min).

The average commute time in Merrick County is about the same as in Nebraska.

Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Merrick County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.

Metric Merrick County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 16.5% 30.8% 31.6%
Average household size 2.37 2.42 2.53

Highest education index among counties in Nebraska: Sarpy County (0.3), Lancaster County (0.3), Douglas County (0.3).
Lowest: Dakota County (0.2), Colfax County (0.2), Dawson County (0.2).

Health

Merrick County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.

Metric Merrick County Nebraska Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 78.8 79.5 78.3
Self-rated poor health 12.4% 12.9% 16.3%
Smokers 17.1% 16.6% 19.0%

Highest health index among counties in Nebraska: Wayne County (0.8), Sarpy County (0.8), Lancaster County (0.8).
Lowest: Thurston County (0.8), Pawnee County (0.8), Dundy County (0.8).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Merrick County, Nebraska.

How big is Merrick County, Nebraska by population?

About 7,724 people live in Merrick County, Nebraska, in 3,206 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 41.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.

Is Merrick County, Nebraska urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Merrick County, Nebraska has 16 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 18% of the U.S. average of 86.

How affordable is housing in Merrick County, Nebraska?

The median home costs 1.8 times the median household income ($122,916 against $69,565), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $749 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is it hard to find a job in Merrick County, Nebraska?

Unemployment in Merrick County, Nebraska is only 1.0%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.

How educated are people in Merrick County, Nebraska?

16.5% of adults in Merrick County, Nebraska hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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