Population
Merkel
2,630
Sparta
2,378
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Sparta
$61,630
Home Value
Merkel
$99,000
Sparta
$167,400
Rent
Merkel
$992
Sparta
$778
Crime Rate
Merkel
2.48
Sparta
1.02
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Sparta
91.3
Avg Temp
Merkel
N/A
Sparta
N/A
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Sparta
2.0%
How Similar Are Merkel & Sparta?
Sparta is Merkel's #1 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Merkel
2,630
Sparta
2,378
Both cities have similar populations — Merkel at 2,630 and Sparta at 2,378.
Violent Crime
Merkel
2.48
Sparta
1.02
Merkel's violent crime is significantly higher than Sparta's — 59% difference.
Property Crime
Merkel
6.20
Sparta
5.58
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 10% difference.
Political Leaning
Merkel
74.4%
Sparta
75.6%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 2% difference.
Unemployment
Merkel
1.9%
Sparta
2.0%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.
Median Income
Merkel
$62,368
Sparta
$61,630
Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.
Home Values
Merkel
$99,000
Sparta
$167,400
Sparta has a 41% higher home values than Merkel.
Education
Merkel
8.3%
Sparta
7.7%
Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.
Demographics
Merkel
81.4%
Sparta
97.3%
Sparta has a 16% higher demographics than Merkel.
Cost of Living
Merkel
92.3
Sparta
91.3
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Merkel and Sparta are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Merkel
0
Sparta
Sparta leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Sparta leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSparta has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,095 vs $1,276 in Merkel (17% lower). Sparta has a fair market rent (1br) of $883 vs $1,020 in Merkel (16% lower). Sparta scores 83.5 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 — Sparta leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSparta has a vacancy rate of 5.7% compared to 15.7% in Merkel. Sparta has a median home value of $167,400 vs $99,000 in Merkel (41% higher). Sparta has a median rent of $778 vs $992 in Merkel (28% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Merkel leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSparta has a poverty rate of 10.3% compared to 14.5% in Merkel. Merkel has a private sector of 89.4% compared to 78.8% in Sparta. Merkel has a work from home of 4.8% compared to 4.3% in Sparta.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Sparta leads
Source: FBI UCRSparta has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.02 compared to 4.13 in Merkel. Sparta has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 1.02 compared to 2.48 in Merkel. Sparta has a property crime clearance of 36.4% 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 — Merkel leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMerkel has a high school diploma or higher of 40.2% compared to 31.2% in Sparta. Merkel has a bachelor's degree or higher of 8.3% compared to 7.7% in Sparta.
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 1.1x the size of Sparta (2,378). Sparta 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
Sparta
Healthcare — Sparta leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSparta: 2.5 vs Merkel: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Merkel leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSparta has a drive alone of 87.5% compared to 76.4% in Merkel. Merkel has a work from home of 4.8% compared to 4.3% in Sparta.
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.