Population

Lake City

2,911

Merkel

2,630

Median Income

Lake City

$57,300

Merkel

$62,368

Home Value

Lake City

$168,500

Merkel

$99,000

Rent

Lake City

$1,130

Merkel

$992

Crime Rate

Lake City

4.52

Merkel

2.48

Cost of Living

Lake City

97.5

Merkel

92.3

Avg Temp

Lake City

N/A

Merkel

N/A

Unemployment

Lake City

1.8%

Merkel

1.9%

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How Similar Are Lake City & Merkel?

Merkel is Lake City's #11 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Lake City

2,911

vs

Merkel

2,630

Match · 10% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Lake City at 2,911 and Merkel at 2,630.

Violent Crime

Lake City

4.52

vs

Merkel

2.48

Different · 45% difference
🚨

Lake City has a 45% higher violent crime than Merkel.

Property Crime

🔒

Lake City

27.82

vs

Merkel

6.20

Different · 78% difference

Lake City's property crime is significantly higher than Merkel's — 78% difference.

Political Leaning

Lake City

15.1%

vs

Merkel

74.4%

Different · 80% difference
🗳️

Lake City leans Democratic while Merkel leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

Lake City

1.8%

vs

Merkel

1.9%

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.

Median Income

Lake City

$57,300

vs

Merkel

$62,368

Match · 8% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Lake City

$168,500

vs

Merkel

$99,000

Different · 41% difference

Lake City has a 41% higher home values than Merkel.

Education

Lake City

8.5%

vs

Merkel

8.3%

Match · 2% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Lake City

11.9%

vs

Merkel

81.4%

Different · 85% difference

Merkel's demographics is significantly higher than Lake City's — 85% difference.

Cost of Living

Lake City

97.5

vs

Merkel

92.3

Match · 5% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lake City and Merkel share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Lake City

vsof 8

0

Merkel

Merkel leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Merkel leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Merkel has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,020 vs $1,660 in Lake City (63% lower). Merkel has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,276 vs $1,820 in Lake City (43% lower). Merkel scores 84.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 108.2 in Lake City.

Overall Cost Index

Lake City97.5
Merkel92.3

Housing Index

Lake City108.2
Merkel84.9

Food Index

Lake City93.8
Merkel97.7

Transportation Index

Lake City87.6
Merkel95.3

Healthcare Index

Lake City95.0
Merkel98.1

Utilities Index

Lake City97.9
Merkel95.6

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Lake City$42,907
Merkel$40,631

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Lake City$101,417
Merkel$96,038

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Lake City$1,660
Merkel$1,020

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Lake City$1,820
Merkel$1,276

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lake City has a median home value of $168,500 vs $99,000 in Merkel (70% higher). Merkel has a median property tax of $1,159 vs $1,744 in Lake City (50% lower). Merkel has a owner-occupied of 77.3% compared to 51.8% in Lake City.

Median Home Value

Lake City$168,500
Merkel$99,000

Median Rent

Lake City$1,130
Merkel$992

Median Property Tax

Lake City$1,744
Merkel$1,159

Owner-Occupied

Lake City51.8%
Merkel77.3%

Vacancy Rate

Lake City11.1%
Merkel15.7%

Single-Family Homes

Lake City76.8%
Merkel75.0%

Jobs & Economy — Merkel leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lake City has a work from home of 8.7% compared to 4.8% in Merkel. Lake City: 1,472 vs Merkel: 1,197 for labor force. Merkel has a per capita income of $27,624 vs $24,467 in Lake City (11% higher).

Median Household Income

Lake City$57,300
Merkel$62,368

Per Capita Income

Lake City$24,467
Merkel$27,624

Poverty Rate

Lake City15.8%
Merkel14.5%

Unemployment Rate

Lake City1.8%
Merkel1.9%

Labor Force

Lake City1,472
Merkel1,197

Mean Commute

Lake CityN/A
MerkelN/A

Work from Home

Lake City8.7%
Merkel4.8%

Private Sector

Lake City80.9%
Merkel89.4%

Government Sector

Lake City37.9%
Merkel40.9%

Crime & Safety — Merkel leads

Source: FBI UCR

Merkel has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 1.24 compared to 15.65 in Lake City. Merkel has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 6.20 compared to 27.82 in Lake City. Merkel has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.83 compared to 3.13 in Lake City.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Lake City4.52
Merkel2.48

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Lake City27.82
Merkel6.20

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Lake City0.00
Merkel0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Lake City1.04
Merkel0.00

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Lake City3.13
Merkel0.83

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Lake City6.61
Merkel4.13

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Lake City15.65
Merkel1.24

Violent Crime Clearance

Lake City23.1%
Merkel33.3%

Property Crime Clearance

Lake City5.0%
Merkel0.0%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Lake CityN/A
MerkelN/A

Avg Annual High

Lake CityN/A
MerkelN/A

Avg Annual Low

Lake CityN/A
MerkelN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Lake CityN/A
MerkelN/A

Annual Rainfall

Lake CityN/A
MerkelN/A

Annual Snowfall

Lake CityN/A
MerkelN/A

Avg Humidity

Lake CityN/A
MerkelN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Merkel has a high school diploma or higher of 40.2% compared to 33.4% in Lake City. Lake City has a bachelor's degree or higher of 8.5% compared to 8.3% in Merkel.

Public Schools

Lake City0
Merkel0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Lake CityN/A
MerkelN/A

Colleges & Universities

Lake City0
Merkel0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Lake City8.5%
Merkel8.3%

High School Diploma or Higher

Lake City33.4%
Merkel40.2%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lake City has a population of 2,911, about 1.1x the size of Merkel (2,630). Merkel skews younger with a median age of 36.2 vs 42.9.

Population

Lake City2,911
Merkel2,630

Median Age

Lake City43
Merkel36

Avg Household Size

Lake City2.6
Merkel2.8

Married Population

Lake City27.5%
Merkel41.5%

Foreign Born

Lake City36.6%
Merkel4.2%

White

Lake City11.9%
Merkel81.4%

Black

Lake City35.9%
Merkel2.0%

Hispanic

Lake City14.8%
Merkel18.7%

Asian

Lake City32.9%
Merkel0.1%

Lake City

Merkel

Healthcare — Merkel leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Merkel: 4 vs Lake City: 2 for with emergency services. Merkel: 2.0 vs Lake City: 1.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Lake City5
Merkel5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Lake City1.7
Merkel2.0

With Emergency Services

Lake City2
Merkel4

Transportation & Commute — Lake City leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lake City has a public transit of 2.0% compared to 0.4% in Merkel. Lake City has a work from home of 8.7% compared to 4.8% in Merkel. Merkel has a drive alone of 76.4% compared to 59.9% in Lake City.

Mean Commute Time

Lake CityN/A
MerkelN/A

Drive Alone

Lake City59.9%
Merkel76.4%

Public Transit

Lake City2.0%
Merkel0.4%

Bicycle

Lake City0.0%
Merkel0.0%

Work from Home

Lake City8.7%
Merkel4.8%

Airports

Lake City0
Merkel0

Cities Similar to Lake City, GA

Compare Lake City 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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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