Population
Merkel
2,630
Pond Creek
904
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Pond Creek
$60,208
Home Value
Merkel
$99,000
Pond Creek
$93,400
Rent
Merkel
$992
Pond Creek
$992
Crime Rate
Merkel
2.48
Pond Creek
2.28
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Pond Creek
89.0
Avg Temp
Merkel
N/A
Pond Creek
N/A
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Pond Creek
5.8%
How Similar Are Merkel & Pond Creek?
Pond Creek is Merkel's #23 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Merkel
2,630
Pond Creek
904
Merkel (2,630) is about 2.9x larger than Pond Creek (904).
Violent Crime
Merkel
2.48
Pond Creek
2.28
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 8% difference.
Property Crime
Merkel
6.20
Pond Creek
6.83
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 9% difference.
Political Leaning
Merkel
74.4%
Pond Creek
84.4%
Both cities lean Republican, but Pond Creek has a stronger Republican lean (12% difference).
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Pond Creek
5.8%
Pond Creek's unemployment is significantly higher than Merkel's — 67% difference.
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Pond Creek
$60,208
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Merkel
$99,000
Pond Creek
$93,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 6% difference.
Education
Merkel
8.3%
Pond Creek
10.1%
Pond Creek has a 17% higher education than Merkel.
Demographics
Merkel
81.4%
Pond Creek
87.4%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Pond Creek
89.0
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Merkel and Pond Creek share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Merkel
0
Pond Creek
Cost of Living & Affordability — Pond Creek leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDPond Creek has a fair market rent (1br) of $714 vs $1,020 in Merkel (43% lower). Pond Creek has a fair market rent (2br) of $937 vs $1,276 in Merkel (36% lower). Pond Creek scores 79.9 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 — Merkel leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPond Creek has a median property tax of $405 vs $1,159 in Merkel (186% lower). Merkel has a vacancy rate of 15.7% compared to 23.2% in Pond Creek. Pond Creek has a single-family homes of 90.7% 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 ACSMerkel: 1,197 vs Pond Creek: 380 for labor force. Merkel has a unemployment rate of 1.9% compared to 5.8% in Pond Creek. Pond Creek has a work from home of 11.8% compared to 4.8% 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 UCRPond Creek has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.14 compared to 4.13 in Merkel. Pond Creek has a property crime clearance of 16.7% compared to 0.0% in Merkel. Merkel has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 1.24 compared to 3.41 in Pond Creek.
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 BureauPond Creek has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.1% compared to 8.3% in Merkel. Merkel has a high school diploma or higher of 40.2% compared to 34.4% in Pond Creek.
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 2.9x the size of Pond Creek (904). Pond Creek skews younger with a median age of 32.2 vs 36.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Merkel
Pond Creek
Healthcare — Pond Creek leads
Source: CMS Hospital ComparePond Creek: 4.0 vs Merkel: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Pond Creek: 5 vs Merkel: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Pond Creek leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPond Creek has a work from home of 11.8% compared to 4.8% in Merkel. Pond Creek has a drive alone of 77.8% 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.