Population
Merkel
2,630
Bay
2,369
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Bay
$58,000
Home Value
Merkel
$99,000
Bay
$109,000
Rent
Merkel
$992
Bay
$1,013
Crime Rate
Merkel
2.48
Bay
0.55
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Bay
87.7
Avg Temp
Merkel
N/A
Bay
N/A
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Bay
2.9%
How Similar Are Merkel & Bay?
Bay is Merkel's #16 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Merkel
2,630
Bay
2,369
Both cities have similar populations — Merkel at 2,630 and Bay at 2,369.
Violent Crime
Merkel
2.48
Bay
0.55
Merkel's violent crime is significantly higher than Bay's — 78% difference.
Property Crime
Merkel
6.20
Bay
7.21
Bay has a 14% higher property crime than Merkel.
Political Leaning
Merkel
74.4%
Bay
67.5%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 9% difference.
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Bay
2.9%
Bay has a 34% higher unemployment than Merkel.
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Bay
$58,000
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Merkel
$99,000
Bay
$109,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Merkel
8.3%
Bay
8.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Merkel
81.4%
Bay
94.2%
Bay has a 14% higher demographics than Merkel.
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Bay
87.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Merkel and Bay share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Merkel
0
Bay
Bay leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Bay leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBay scores 77.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 95.3 in Merkel. Bay has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,040 vs $1,276 in Merkel (23% lower). Bay has a fair market rent (1br) of $870 vs $1,020 in Merkel (17% 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 — Bay leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBay has a vacancy rate of 7.1% compared to 15.7% in Merkel. Bay has a median property tax of $584 vs $1,159 in Merkel (98% lower). Merkel has a owner-occupied of 77.3% compared to 47.3% in Bay.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Merkel leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMerkel has a unemployment rate of 1.9% compared to 2.9% in Bay. Bay has a work from home of 6.5% compared to 4.8% in Merkel. Merkel has a per capita income of $27,624 vs $21,961 in Bay (26% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Bay leads
Source: FBI UCRBay has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 0.55 compared to 2.48 in Merkel. Bay has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.11 compared to 4.13 in Merkel. Bay has a violent crime clearance of 300.0% compared to 33.3% in Merkel.
Violent 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 BureauMerkel has a high school diploma or higher of 40.2% compared to 36.6% in Bay. Bay has a bachelor's degree or higher of 8.5% compared to 8.3% in Merkel.
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 ACSMerkel has a population of 2,630, about 1.1x the size of Bay (2,369). Bay skews younger with a median age of 31.7 vs 36.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Merkel
Bay
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBay: 5 vs Merkel: 4 for with emergency services. Merkel: 2.0 vs Bay: 1.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Bay leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBay has a work from home of 6.5% compared to 4.8% in Merkel. Bay has a drive alone of 81.3% compared to 76.4% in Merkel.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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.