Population
Merkel
2,630
Clarion
2,775
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Clarion
$58,702
Home Value
Merkel
$99,000
Clarion
$107,600
Rent
Merkel
$992
Clarion
$764
Crime Rate
Merkel
2.48
Clarion
1.83
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Clarion
85.9
Avg Temp
Merkel
N/A
Clarion
N/A
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Clarion
1.7%
How Similar Are Merkel & Clarion?
Clarion is Merkel's #11 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Merkel
2,630
Clarion
2,775
Both cities have similar populations — Merkel at 2,630 and Clarion at 2,775.
Violent Crime
Merkel
2.48
Clarion
1.83
Merkel has a 26% higher violent crime than Clarion.
Property Crime
Merkel
6.20
Clarion
4.77
Merkel has a 23% higher property crime than Clarion.
Political Leaning
Merkel
74.4%
Clarion
67.5%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 9% difference.
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Clarion
1.7%
Merkel has a 13% higher unemployment than Clarion.
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Clarion
$58,702
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Merkel
$99,000
Clarion
$107,600
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Merkel
8.3%
Clarion
17.1%
Clarion's education is significantly higher than Merkel's — 51% difference.
Demographics
Merkel
81.4%
Clarion
85.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Clarion
85.9
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Merkel and Clarion share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Merkel
0
Clarion
Clarion leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Clarion leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDClarion has a fair market rent (1br) of $700 vs $1,020 in Merkel (46% lower). Clarion has a fair market rent (2br) of $919 vs $1,276 in Merkel (39% lower). Clarion scores 74.2 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 84.9 in Merkel.
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 — Clarion leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSClarion has a vacancy rate of 11.1% compared to 15.7% in Merkel. Clarion has a median rent of $764 vs $992 in Merkel (30% lower). Merkel has a median property tax of $1,159 vs $1,560 in Clarion (26% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Clarion leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSClarion has a per capita income of $40,614 vs $27,624 in Merkel (32% higher). Clarion: 1,495 vs Merkel: 1,197 for labor force. Clarion has a unemployment rate of 1.7% compared to 1.9% in Merkel.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Clarion leads
Source: FBI UCRClarion has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.83 compared to 4.13 in Merkel. Merkel has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.83 compared to 1.83 in Clarion. Merkel has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 1.24 compared to 2.57 in Clarion.
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 BureauClarion has a bachelor's degree or higher of 17.1% compared to 8.3% in Merkel. Merkel has a high school diploma or higher of 40.2% compared to 35.6% in Clarion.
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 ACSClarion has a population of 2,775, about 1.1x the size of Merkel (2,630). Merkel skews younger with a median age of 36.2 vs 38.3.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Merkel
Clarion
Healthcare — Clarion leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareClarion: 5 vs Merkel: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Clarion leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSClarion has a bicycle of 0.7% compared to 0.0% in Merkel. Clarion has a drive alone of 83.5% compared to 76.4% in Merkel. Merkel has a public transit of 0.4% compared to 0.4% in Clarion.
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.