Merrill, IA · standard
ZIP Code 51038
Plymouth County, Iowa - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 1,535
- 7/sq mi Low-density area
- $95,893
- Median income Above-median income area
- $183,100
- Median home value Near-median home value
- 17.6%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Merrill pairs an upper-quartile household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 22%
- household income, US ZIPs
- 39th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 7
- people per sq mi
- 88%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 51038 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 51038 covers 232.6 square miles in Merrill, Plymouth County, Iowa (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 1,535 residents on file, a density of 7 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 51038 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $95,893 (25% above the average Iowa ZIP), while per-capita income is $37,652. Both reported hardship measures are comparatively low in absolute terms: poverty is 4.4% and unemployment is 1.1%. Median home value is $183,100 (4% above the average Iowa ZIP) and median rent is $630; 87.9% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 17.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 43, and the average commute is 20 minutes. The page also surfaces 4 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Plymouth County, so 51038 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Top industries in ZIP 51038
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Merrill, IA
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 51038.
- Transportation and warehousing
Transportation and warehousing
8 establishments
- Retail trade
Retail trade
5 establishments
- Construction 3
Construction
3 establishments
- Manufacturing 3
Manufacturing
3 establishments
- Other services (except public administration) 3
Other services (except public administration)
3 establishments
What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 51038, Merrill, IA · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
1,535
Population
232.6
Area (sq mi)
7
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 51038?
43.0
Median Age
55.8%
Male
44.2%
Female
1.7%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$95,893
Median Household Income
+25% vs state ZIP avg
$37,652
Per Capita Income
4.4%
Poverty Rate
1.1%
Unemployment Rate
19.9 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 51038 ranks among Iowa ZIPs
Merrill, IA household income vs. every Iowa ZIP code
Median household income among 911 reporting Iowa ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$95,893 Top 15% higher than 85% of 911 Iowa ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Iowa ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
653housing units
653
Total Housing Units
553
Occupied Units
100
Vacant Units
2.62
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$183,100
Median Home Value
+4% vs state ZIP avg
$630
Median Rent
1954
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 27 business establishments in ZIP 51038, employing approximately 191 people with a combined annual payroll of $10,607,000.
27
Businesses
191
Employees
$10.6M
Annual Payroll
5
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and warehousing | 8 | 29.6% |
| Retail trade | 5 | 18.5% |
| Construction | 3 | 11.1% |
| Manufacturing | 3 | 11.1% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3 | 11.1% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 51038 vs 51024 →
ZIP 51038 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 51031
Le Mars (51031)
12,336 residents
- 51108
Sioux City (51108)
5,566 residents
- 51024 2,070
Hinton (51024)
2,070 residents
- 51038 1,535
Merrill (51038)
1,535 residents
- 51008 151
Brunsville (51008)
151 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 51038 ranks #4 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 51038 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 51024
Hinton (51024)
$114,219 median income
- 51038
Merrill (51038)
$95,893 median income
- 51108
Sioux City (51108)
$81,205 median income
- 51031
Le Mars (51031)
$76,525 median income
- 51008 $45,000
Brunsville (51008)
$45,000 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 51038 ranks #2 of 5 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 51038, both outside IA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (1,535 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Plymouth County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 51038 in?
ZIP code 51038 (Merrill) is located in Plymouth County, Iowa. Plymouth County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/plymouth-ia.
What is the population of ZIP code 51038?
ZIP code 51038 in Merrill, IA has a population of 1,535 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 51038?
The median household income in ZIP 51038 is $95,893, which is 26% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 51038?
The median home value in ZIP 51038 is $183,100, which is 34% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 51038?
The largest racial group in ZIP 51038 is White at 94.6%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 2.0% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 51038?
ZIP code 51038 has 27 business establishments employing approximately 191 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What are the main industries in ZIP code 51038?
The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 51038 are: Transportation and warehousing (8), Retail trade (5), Construction (3). There are 5 industry sectors represented in total.
What is the education level in ZIP code 51038?
In ZIP code 51038, 55.3% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 17.6% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What is the average commute time in ZIP 51038?
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 51038 is 19.9 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend less time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 51038?
In ZIP code 51038, approximately 87.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 12.1% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 51038?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 51038 is 4.4% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 51038's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 51038 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Merrill, IA ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.