Merkel, Texas

Merkel, Texas
City
Street in Merkel, March 2014
Location of Merkel, Texas
Coordinates: 32°28′12″N100°00′12″W / 32.47000°N 100.00333°W / 32.47000; -100.00333
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Taylor
Area [1]
• Total	2.80 sq mi (7.25 km2)
• Land	2.80 sq mi (7.25 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,870 ft (570 m)
Population  (2020) [3]
• Total	2,471
• Density	883.13/sq mi (340.98/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	79536
Area code	325
FIPS code	48-47796 [4]
GNIS feature ID	2412986 [2]
Website	merkeltexas.com

Merkel is a city in Taylor County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,471 at the 2020 census. ^[3] It is part of the Abilene metropolitan area.

Geography

Merkel is located 17 miles west of Abilene near Interstate 20. The town has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.2 km²), all land.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Merkel has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps. ^[5]

History

Around 1870, when the Texas and Pacific Railway was built, the city was founded as Windmill Town. In 1881, it was renamed as Merkel in honor of the first settler in this area, S. M. Merkel, from Germany. In 1882, the first mercantile store and in 1883, the first post office opened. ^[6]

Demographics

2020 census

Merkel racial composition ^[7]
(NH = Non-Hispanic) ^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	1,778	71.95%
Black or African American (NH)	26	1.05%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	9	0.36%
Asian (NH)	5	0.2%
Some other race (NH)	2	0.12%
Mixed/multracial (NH)	80	3.24%
Hispanic or Latino	570	23.07%
Total	2,471

As of the 2020 United States census, 2,471 people, 875 households, and 640 families were residing in the town.

2000 census

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	353		—
1910	2,008		—
1920	1,810		−9.9%
1930	1,848		2.1%
1940	2,005		8.5%
1950	2,338		16.6%
1960	2,312		−1.1%
1970	2,163		−6.4%
1980	2,493		15.3%
1990	2,469		−1.0%
2000	2,637		6.8%
2010	2,590		−1.8%
2020	2,471		−4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [9]

As of the 2000 census, ^[4] 2,637 people 1,012 households, and 719 families resided in the town. The population density was 1,342.0 inhabitants per square mile (518.1/km²). The 1,202 housing units averaged 611.7 per square mile (236.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.42% White, 1.14% African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 6.37% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 14.22% of the population.

Of the 1,012 households, 37.9% had children under 18 still living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were not families. About 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.56, and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town, the population was distributed as 28.2% under 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 80.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,083, and for a family was $34,250. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $16,620 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,292. About 9.9% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Merkel is served by the Merkel Independent School District. ^[10]

Notable people

• Cody Lambert (born 1961), professional rodeo cowboy, was raised in Merkel.
• Tommy Robison (born 1961), football player

See also

• Texas portal

• List of municipalities in Texas

Notes

1. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. ^[8]

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Merkel, Texas
3. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Merkel town, Texas". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved February 8, 2024.
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. Climate Summary for Merkel, Texas
6. Shelly Slyker and Angela Thomas (April 1, 1995). "Merkel, TX". Handbook of Texas. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
7. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
8. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
10. City of Merkel Home https://merkeltexas.com/ accessed 01/15/23

External links

• Official website
• Merkel Chamber of Commerce
• Merkel in The Handbook of Texas
• The Merkel Area Museum.