Population

Merkel

2,630

Ashkum

765

Median Income

Merkel

$62,368

Ashkum

$67,500

Home Value

Merkel

$99,000

Ashkum

$136,500

Rent

Merkel

$992

Ashkum

$790

Crime Rate

Merkel

2.48

Ashkum

N/A

Cost of Living

Merkel

92.3

Ashkum

96.1

Avg Temp

Merkel

N/A

Ashkum

N/A

Unemployment

Merkel

1.9%

Ashkum

2.1%

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How Similar Are Merkel & Ashkum?

Ashkum is Merkel's #14 most similar city

6/8

6 of 8 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Merkel

2,630

vs

Ashkum

765

Different · 71% difference

Merkel (2,630) is about 3.4x larger than Ashkum (765).

Political Leaning

Merkel

74.4%

vs

Ashkum

78.0%

Match · 5% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 5% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Merkel

1.9%

vs

Ashkum

2.1%

Match · 9% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.

Median Income

Merkel

$62,368

vs

Ashkum

$67,500

Match · 8% difference
💰

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

Home Values

🏠

Merkel

$99,000

vs

Ashkum

$136,500

Different · 27% difference

Ashkum has a 27% higher home values than Merkel.

Education

Merkel

8.3%

vs

Ashkum

9.0%

Match · 8% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Merkel

81.4%

vs

Ashkum

89.3%

Match · 9% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.

Cost of Living

Merkel

92.3

vs

Ashkum

96.1

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

6 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Merkel and Ashkum share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Merkel

vsof 8

0

Ashkum

Ashkum leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Merkel leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Ashkum has a fair market rent (1br) of $698 vs $1,020 in Merkel (46% lower). Ashkum has a fair market rent (2br) of $916 vs $1,276 in Merkel (39% lower). Merkel scores 95.3 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 103.2 in Ashkum.

Overall Cost Index

Merkel92.3
Ashkum96.1

Housing Index

Merkel84.9
Ashkum85.7

Food Index

Merkel97.7
Ashkum101.6

Transportation Index

Merkel95.3
Ashkum103.2

Healthcare Index

Merkel98.1
Ashkum101.3

Utilities Index

Merkel95.6
Ashkum98.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Merkel$40,631
Ashkum$42,298

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Merkel$96,038
Ashkum$99,978

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Merkel$1,020
Ashkum$698

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Merkel$1,276
Ashkum$916

Housing Market — Ashkum leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Ashkum has a vacancy rate of 9.1% compared to 15.7% in Merkel. Merkel has a median property tax of $1,159 vs $2,515 in Ashkum (54% lower). Ashkum has a median home value of $136,500 vs $99,000 in Merkel (27% higher).

Median Home Value

Merkel$99,000
Ashkum$136,500

Median Rent

Merkel$992
Ashkum$790

Median Property Tax

Merkel$1,159
Ashkum$2,515

Owner-Occupied

Merkel77.3%
Ashkum77.4%

Vacancy Rate

Merkel15.7%
Ashkum9.1%

Single-Family Homes

Merkel75.0%
Ashkum79.7%

Jobs & Economy — Ashkum leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Ashkum has a poverty rate of 4.7% compared to 14.5% in Merkel. Merkel: 1,197 vs Ashkum: 429 for labor force. Ashkum has a per capita income of $35,959 vs $27,624 in Merkel (23% higher).

Median Household Income

Merkel$62,368
Ashkum$67,500

Per Capita Income

Merkel$27,624
Ashkum$35,959

Poverty Rate

Merkel14.5%
Ashkum4.7%

Unemployment Rate

Merkel1.9%
Ashkum2.1%

Labor Force

Merkel1,197
Ashkum429

Mean Commute

MerkelN/A
AshkumN/A

Work from Home

Merkel4.8%
Ashkum6.0%

Private Sector

Merkel89.4%
AshkumN/A

Government Sector

Merkel40.9%
Ashkum47.6%

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Merkel2.48
AshkumN/A

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Merkel6.20
AshkumN/A

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Merkel0.00
AshkumN/A

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Merkel0.00
AshkumN/A

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Merkel0.83
AshkumN/A

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Merkel4.13
AshkumN/A

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Merkel1.24
AshkumN/A

Violent Crime Clearance

Merkel33.3%
AshkumN/A

Property Crime Clearance

Merkel0.0%
AshkumN/A

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

MerkelN/A
AshkumN/A

Avg Annual High

MerkelN/A
AshkumN/A

Avg Annual Low

MerkelN/A
AshkumN/A

Sunny Days per Year

MerkelN/A
AshkumN/A

Annual Rainfall

MerkelN/A
AshkumN/A

Annual Snowfall

MerkelN/A
AshkumN/A

Avg Humidity

MerkelN/A
AshkumN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Merkel has a high school diploma or higher of 40.2% compared to 31.1% in Ashkum. Ashkum has a bachelor's degree or higher of 9.0% compared to 8.3% in Merkel.

Public Schools

Merkel0
Ashkum0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

MerkelN/A
AshkumN/A

Colleges & Universities

Merkel0
Ashkum0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Merkel8.3%
Ashkum9.0%

High School Diploma or Higher

Merkel40.2%
Ashkum31.1%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Merkel has a population of 2,630, about 3.4x the size of Ashkum (765). Merkel skews younger with a median age of 36.2 vs 37.4.

Population

Merkel2,630
Ashkum765

Median Age

Merkel36
Ashkum37

Avg Household Size

Merkel2.8
Ashkum2.4

Married Population

Merkel41.5%
Ashkum40.1%

Foreign Born

Merkel4.2%
Ashkum0.0%

White

Merkel81.4%
Ashkum89.3%

Black

Merkel2.0%
Ashkum2.2%

Hispanic

Merkel18.7%
Ashkum4.8%

Asian

Merkel0.1%
Ashkum0.0%

Merkel

Ashkum

Healthcare — Ashkum leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Ashkum: 3.7 vs Merkel: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Merkel5
Ashkum5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Merkel2.0
Ashkum3.7

With Emergency Services

Merkel4
Ashkum4

Transportation & Commute — Ashkum leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Ashkum has a public transit of 1.2% compared to 0.4% in Merkel. Ashkum has a work from home of 6.0% compared to 4.8% in Merkel. Ashkum has a drive alone of 80.6% compared to 76.4% in Merkel.

Mean Commute Time

MerkelN/A
AshkumN/A

Drive Alone

Merkel76.4%
Ashkum80.6%

Public Transit

Merkel0.4%
Ashkum1.2%

Bicycle

Merkel0.0%
Ashkum0.0%

Work from Home

Merkel4.8%
Ashkum6.0%

Airports

Merkel0
Ashkum0

Cities Similar to Merkel, TX

Compare Merkel 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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