Population
Bessemer
25,655
Merrydale
9,149
Median Income
Bessemer
$37,844
Merrydale
$41,986
Home Value
Bessemer
$129,800
Merrydale
$124,300
Rent
Bessemer
$922
Merrydale
$1,187
Crime Rate
Bessemer
17.44
Merrydale
N/A
Cost of Living
Bessemer
79.5
Merrydale
86.2
Avg Temp
Bessemer
N/A
Merrydale
N/A
Unemployment
Bessemer
8.8%
Merrydale
25.2%
How Similar Are Bessemer & Merrydale?
Merrydale is Bessemer's #13 most similar city
5 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Bessemer
25,655
Merrydale
9,149
Bessemer (25,655) is about 2.8x larger than Merrydale (9,149).
Political Leaning
Bessemer
44.2%
Merrydale
43.4%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 2% difference.
Unemployment
Bessemer
8.8%
Merrydale
25.2%
Merrydale's unemployment is significantly higher than Bessemer's — 65% difference.
Median Income
Bessemer
$37,844
Merrydale
$41,986
Both cities have similar median income — just a 10% difference.
Home Values
Bessemer
$129,800
Merrydale
$124,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 4% difference.
Education
Bessemer
10.1%
Merrydale
10.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 5% difference.
Demographics
Bessemer
19.8%
Merrydale
0.9%
Bessemer's demographics is significantly higher than Merrydale's — 96% difference.
Cost of Living
Bessemer
79.5
Merrydale
86.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
5 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Bessemer and Merrydale share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Bessemer
0
Merrydale
Bessemer leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Bessemer leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDMerrydale scores 64.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 85.6 in Bessemer. Bessemer scores 84.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 105.7 in Merrydale. Merrydale has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,064 vs $1,155 in Bessemer (9% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Merrydale leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMerrydale has a median property tax of N/A vs $876 in Bessemer (100% lower). Merrydale has a owner-occupied of 76.8% compared to 55.1% in Bessemer. Bessemer has a median rent of $922 vs $1,187 in Merrydale (22% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Bessemer leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBessemer: 10,375 vs Merrydale: 3,834 for labor force. Bessemer has a unemployment rate of 8.8% compared to 25.2% in Merrydale. Bessemer has a per capita income of $24,074 vs $20,608 in Merrydale (17% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBessemer has a high school diploma or higher of 38.2% compared to 30.7% in Merrydale. Merrydale has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.6% compared to 10.1% in Bessemer.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBessemer has a population of 25,655, about 2.8x the size of Merrydale (9,149). Merrydale skews younger with a median age of 35.6 vs 42.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Bessemer
Merrydale
Healthcare — Bessemer leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBessemer: 5 vs Merrydale: 1 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMerrydale has a bicycle of 0.8% compared to 0.0% in Bessemer. Bessemer has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 0.7% in Merrydale. Bessemer has a drive alone of 76.5% compared to 66.3% in Merrydale.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Bessemer, AL
Compare Bessemer against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.