Population
Merkel
2,630
Decatur
9,769
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Decatur
$58,867
Home Value
Merkel
$99,000
Decatur
$132,900
Rent
Merkel
$992
Decatur
$804
Crime Rate
Merkel
2.48
Decatur
1.69
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Decatur
87.5
Avg Temp
Merkel
N/A
Decatur
N/A
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Decatur
2.1%
How Similar Are Merkel & Decatur?
Decatur is Merkel's #15 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Merkel
2,630
Decatur
9,769
Decatur (9,769) is about 3.7x larger than Merkel (2,630).
Violent Crime
Merkel
2.48
Decatur
1.69
Merkel has a 32% higher violent crime than Decatur.
Property Crime
Merkel
6.20
Decatur
6.76
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 8% difference.
Political Leaning
Merkel
74.4%
Decatur
75.4%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Decatur
2.1%
Decatur has a 10% higher unemployment than Merkel.
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Decatur
$58,867
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Merkel
$99,000
Decatur
$132,900
Decatur has a 26% higher home values than Merkel.
Education
Merkel
8.3%
Decatur
9.1%
Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.
Demographics
Merkel
81.4%
Decatur
90.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 10% difference.
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Decatur
87.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Merkel and Decatur share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Merkel
0
Decatur
Decatur leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Decatur leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDDecatur has a fair market rent (2br) of $956 vs $1,276 in Merkel (33% lower). Decatur has a fair market rent (1br) of $872 vs $1,020 in Merkel (17% lower). Decatur scores 78.3 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 — Decatur leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDecatur has a vacancy rate of 7.4% compared to 15.7% in Merkel. Decatur has a median home value of $132,900 vs $99,000 in Merkel (26% higher). Decatur has a median rent of $804 vs $992 in Merkel (23% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Decatur leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMerkel has a work from home of 4.8% compared to 2.4% in Decatur. Decatur: 4,571 vs Merkel: 1,197 for labor force. Decatur has a poverty rate of 10.8% compared to 14.5% 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 — Merkel leads
Source: FBI UCRDecatur has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.40 compared to 4.13 in Merkel. Merkel has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.10 in Decatur. Decatur has a property crime clearance of 8.8% compared to 0.0% 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 — Decatur leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauDecatur has a high school diploma or higher of 44.4% compared to 40.2% in Merkel. Decatur has a bachelor's degree or higher of 9.1% 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 ACSDecatur has a population of 9,769, about 3.7x the size of Merkel (2,630). Merkel skews younger with a median age of 36.2 vs 43.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Merkel
Decatur
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDecatur: 3.5 vs Merkel: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Merkel: 4 vs Decatur: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Merkel leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMerkel has a work from home of 4.8% compared to 2.4% in Decatur. Decatur has a drive alone of 87.1% 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.