Population
Merkel
2,630
Hollister
4,608
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Hollister
$57,778
Home Value
Merkel
$99,000
Hollister
$154,900
Rent
Merkel
$992
Hollister
$839
Crime Rate
Merkel
2.48
Hollister
2.34
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Hollister
87.7
Avg Temp
Merkel
N/A
Hollister
N/A
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Hollister
1.9%
How Similar Are Merkel & Hollister?
Hollister is Merkel's #21 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Merkel
2,630
Hollister
4,608
Hollister has a 43% larger population than Merkel.
Violent Crime
Merkel
2.48
Hollister
2.34
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 5% difference.
Property Crime
Merkel
6.20
Hollister
11.93
Hollister has a 48% higher property crime than Merkel.
Political Leaning
Merkel
74.4%
Hollister
79.2%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 6% difference.
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Hollister
1.9%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 1% difference.
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Hollister
$57,778
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Merkel
$99,000
Hollister
$154,900
Hollister has a 36% higher home values than Merkel.
Education
Merkel
8.3%
Hollister
11.7%
Hollister has a 29% higher education than Merkel.
Demographics
Merkel
81.4%
Hollister
89.7%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Hollister
87.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Merkel and Hollister share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Merkel
0
Hollister
Hollister leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Hollister leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHollister has a fair market rent (1br) of $784 vs $1,020 in Merkel (30% lower). Hollister has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,029 vs $1,276 in Merkel (24% lower). Hollister scores 82.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 95.3 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 — Hollister leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHollister has a median home value of $154,900 vs $99,000 in Merkel (36% higher). Merkel has a single-family homes of 75.0% compared to 56.8% in Hollister. Hollister has a median property tax of $930 vs $1,159 in Merkel (25% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Hollister leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHollister has a poverty rate of 7.9% compared to 14.5% in Merkel. Hollister: 1,949 vs Merkel: 1,197 for labor force. Merkel has a per capita income of $27,624 vs $24,553 in Hollister (13% higher).
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 UCRHollister has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.43 compared to 4.13 in Merkel. Merkel has a violent crime clearance of 33.3% compared to 9.1% in Hollister. Hollister has a property crime clearance of 10.7% 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 — Hollister leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauHollister has a bachelor's degree or higher of 11.7% compared to 8.3% in Merkel. Hollister has a high school diploma or higher of 40.8% compared to 40.2% 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 ACSHollister has a population of 4,608, about 1.8x the size of Merkel (2,630).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Merkel
Hollister
Healthcare — Hollister leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareHollister: 2.5 vs Merkel: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Hollister: 5 vs Merkel: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Hollister leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHollister has a drive alone of 80.9% compared to 76.4% in Merkel. Hollister has a work from home of 5.0% compared to 4.8% 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.