Population 295 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Merit
Household size in Merit
| Period | Merit | Jackson area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.46 | 2.70 | 2.66 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.60 | 2.71 | 2.67 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.70 | 2.68 | 2.64 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.75 | 2.56 | 2.57 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.29 | −0.14 | −0.09 | −0.03 |
Households in Merit average 2.75 people, a bit above the national 2.65, so families with children are somewhat more common here. Household size has climbed from 2.46 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Merit
| Period | Merit | Jackson area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 39.7 | 35.9 | 36.7 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 43.2 | 36.9 | 37.5 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 40.4 | 37.9 | 38.8 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 39.5 | 39.1 | 39.4 | 40.1 |
| Change | −0.2 | +3.2 | +2.6 | +2.3 |
At 39.5, the median age in Merit is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Merit
| Period | Merit | Jackson area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.8% | 17.1% | 15.8% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.1% | 16.8% | 15.8% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 14.6% | 15.7% | 14.7% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.3% | 14.7% | 14.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.5 pts | −2.5 pts | −1.1 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are a bit less common in Merit than nationally: 10.3%, against 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Merit
Renters in Merit
| Period | Merit | Jackson area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.5% | 31.3% | 29.2% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 14.4% | 32.4% | 31.1% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 20.0% | 32.4% | 31.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 13.4% | 32.5% | 30.0% | 34.8% |
| Change | +1.9 pts | +1.2 pts | +0.8 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 13.4% of households in Merit rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Just over seven in ten owners (72.4%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Merit
| Period | Merit | Jackson area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.3% | 11.3% | 13.6% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 17.7% | 12.7% | 14.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 35.0% | 13.3% | 16.1% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 20.2% | 12.0% | 14.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | +7.9 pts | +0.7 pts | +0.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 20.2% of the housing in Merit, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Merit
| Period | Merit | Jackson area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1981 | 1982 | 1981 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1977 | 1983 | 1983 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1987 | 1984 | 1984 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1988 | 1987 | 1987 | 1980 |
| Change | +7 | +4 | +5 | +6 |
Much of the housing in Merit is relatively new: half of its homes were built after 1988, compared with 1980 for the U.S. as a whole. The Jackson area as a whole looks much the same.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Merit
| Period | Merit | Jackson area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $837 | $796 | $703 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $620 | $862 | $758 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $753 | $940 | $819 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $832 | $1,161 | $1,018 | $1,571 |
| Change | −$5 | +$364 | +$315 | +$606 |
Rent in Merit runs $832 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 26.1% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Merit
Bachelor's degrees in Merit
| Period | Merit | Jackson area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.2% | 28.1% | 20.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 17.5% | 28.8% | 21.4% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 11.4% | 29.7% | 22.8% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 13.7% | 33.0% | 25.8% | 35.6% |
| Change | +1.6 pts | +4.8 pts | +5.0 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Merit: 13.7% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Merit
| Period | Merit | Jackson area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 74.4% | 83.3% | 80.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 81.4% | 85.3% | 82.5% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 83.4% | 86.9% | 84.8% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 89.6% | 88.8% | 87.3% | 89.3% |
| Change | +15.2 pts | +5.5 pts | +6.9 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Merit is close to the national rate: 89.6% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Merit
| Period | Merit | Jackson area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.7% | 8.0% | 9.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 9.0% | 9.6% | 11.0% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.0% | 7.2% | 7.6% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.7% | 5.7% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −6.0 pts | −2.3 pts | −3.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Merit runs below the national rate: 3.7% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Merit compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merit | 2.75 | 39.5 | 10.3% | 13.4% | 20.2% | 1988 | $832 | 13.7% | 89.6% | 3.7% |
| Mendenhall | 2.58 | 44.0 | 10.8% | 17.4% | 16.2% | 1988 | $914 | 19.6% | 85.0% | 6.7% |
| D'Lo | 2.45 | 44.2 | 8.1% | 27.1% | 17.3% | 1983 | $753 | 18.0% | 85.1% | 6.0% |
| Weathersby | 2.89 | 38.1 | 11.1% | 12.4% | 36.1% | 1986 | $935 | 13.3% | 86.1% | 21.6% |
| Pinola | 3.03 | 36.9 | 9.8% | 8.7% | 24.7% | 1993 | $853 | 17.7% | 86.1% | 1.2% |
| Sanatorium | 2.30 | 53.4 | 13.5% | 12.9% | 22.6% | 1993 | $840 | 20.7% | 77.5% | 0.6% |
| Braxton | 2.74 | 37.1 | 6.3% | 10.1% | 17.3% | 1997 | $886 | 13.9% | 90.0% | 3.6% |
| Touchstone | 2.65 | 39.1 | 5.5% | 11.1% | 16.1% | 1997 | $964 | 11.8% | 87.7% | 3.2% |
| Magee | 2.69 | 41.8 | 23.3% | 30.1% | 17.8% | 1985 | $803 | 15.1% | 77.4% | 1.9% |
| Harrisville | 2.49 | 50.9 | 8.2% | 11.0% | 21.8% | 1979 | $894 | 8.1% | 78.5% | 6.1% |
| Martinville | 2.64 | 43.0 | 20.0% | 12.6% | 15.5% | 1991 | $981 | 19.7% | 81.6% | 4.8% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Rodman, SC · Oil City, MS · Oilton, TX · Okauchee Lake, WI · Old St. Louis, IN · Oldtown, KY · Oleta, OK · Olivet Hill, MD · Olivia, TX · Opdyke West, TX
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Merit. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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