Population
Merkel
2,630
Hillsboro
2,716
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Hillsboro
$57,792
Home Value
Merkel
$99,000
Hillsboro
$101,100
Rent
Merkel
$992
Hillsboro
$772
Crime Rate
Merkel
2.48
Hillsboro
2.62
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Hillsboro
85.7
Avg Temp
Merkel
N/A
Hillsboro
N/A
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Hillsboro
2.8%
How Similar Are Merkel & Hillsboro?
Hillsboro is Merkel's #2 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Merkel
2,630
Hillsboro
2,716
Both cities have similar populations — Merkel at 2,630 and Hillsboro at 2,716.
Violent Crime
Merkel
2.48
Hillsboro
2.62
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 5% difference.
Property Crime
Merkel
6.20
Hillsboro
14.96
Hillsboro's property crime is significantly higher than Merkel's — 59% difference.
Political Leaning
Merkel
74.4%
Hillsboro
73.5%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Hillsboro
2.8%
Hillsboro has a 31% higher unemployment than Merkel.
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Hillsboro
$57,792
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Merkel
$99,000
Hillsboro
$101,100
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Merkel
8.3%
Hillsboro
19.9%
Hillsboro's education is significantly higher than Merkel's — 58% difference.
Demographics
Merkel
81.4%
Hillsboro
89.5%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Hillsboro
85.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Merkel and Hillsboro are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Merkel
0
Hillsboro
Cost of Living & Affordability — Hillsboro leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHillsboro has a fair market rent (1br) of $688 vs $1,020 in Merkel (48% lower). Hillsboro has a fair market rent (2br) of $877 vs $1,276 in Merkel (45% lower). Hillsboro scores 75.4 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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMerkel has a median property tax of $1,159 vs $1,902 in Hillsboro (39% lower). Hillsboro has a median rent of $772 vs $992 in Merkel (28% lower). Hillsboro has a single-family homes of 85.8% compared to 75.0% in Merkel.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Merkel leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHillsboro has a poverty rate of 8.8% compared to 14.5% in Merkel. Hillsboro has a work from home of 8.7% compared to 4.8% in Merkel. Merkel has a unemployment rate of 1.9% compared to 2.8% in Hillsboro.
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 UCRHillsboro has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.12 compared to 4.13 in Merkel. Merkel has a violent crime clearance of 33.3% compared to 14.3% in Hillsboro. Hillsboro has a property crime clearance of 2.5% 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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauHillsboro has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.9% compared to 8.3% in Merkel. Merkel has a high school diploma or higher of 40.2% compared to 37.6% in Hillsboro.
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 ACSHillsboro has a population of 2,716, about 1x the size of Merkel (2,630). Hillsboro skews younger with a median age of 35.0 vs 36.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Merkel
Hillsboro
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareHillsboro: 4.0 vs Merkel: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Merkel: 4 vs Hillsboro: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Hillsboro leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHillsboro has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.0% in Merkel. Hillsboro has a work from home of 8.7% compared to 4.8% in Merkel. Hillsboro has a public transit of 0.6% compared to 0.4% 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.