PlainZIP

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
$95,893
Median income
$183,100
Median home value
17.6%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

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 Iowa average), while per-capita income is $37,652. 4.4% of residents live below the poverty line, and the unemployment rate reads 1.1%. Housing costs here run $183,100 for a typical home value (4% above the state average), with rent averaging $630 a month; 87.9% of 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. Beyond these figures, 4 nearby ZIP codes within about 10 miles are surfaced below, along with 6 more sharing Plymouth County, letting you compare 51038 to its immediate surroundings rather than a national baseline alone.

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.

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 · ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) As of 2023

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

Neighborhood Scorecard
Get an A-F grade across income, safety, housing, rent, education, commute, and childcare for this ZIP code.
View Scorecard →

Who lives in ZIP 51038?

43.0

Median Age

55.8%

Male

44.2%

Female

1.7%

Foreign-Born

White 94.6%
African American 0.6%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian or Alaska Native 1.8%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%
Two or More Ethnicities 1.3%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%

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

$37,652

Per Capita Income

4.4%

Poverty Rate

1.1%

Unemployment Rate

19.9 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 51038 ranks nationally

Merrill, IA household income vs. every US ZIP code

Median household income, the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked

$95,893 Top 22% higher than 78% of 30,318 US ZIPs

$0–$20,000: 118 US ZIPs (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 1,573 US ZIPs (5%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 7,092 US ZIPs (23%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 9,980 US ZIPs (33%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 5,778 US ZIPs (19%). This entry sits in this band. $100,000–$120,000: 2,855 US ZIPs (9%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 1,362 US ZIPs (4%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 686 US ZIPs (2%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 364 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 186 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 324 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. This ZIP $0 $200K+ every reporting US ZIP, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US 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?

High School Graduate or Higher 55.3%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 17.6%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What does housing look like?

653

Total Housing Units

553

Occupied Units

100

Vacant Units

2.62

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 87.9%
Renter 12.1%

$183,100

Median Home Value

+4% vs state

$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.

residents

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 51038 ranks #4 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023

ZIP 51038 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income

Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023
ZIP Code City Population Distance
51024 Hinton, IA 2,070 6.5 mi
51008 Brunsville, IA 151 7.7 mi
51108 Sioux City, IA 5,566 9.8 mi
51031 Le Mars, IA 12,336 9.5 mi

More ZIP Codes in Plymouth County

51031 standard
Le Mars, IA
Pop: 12,336
51050 standard
Remsen, IA
Pop: 2,631
51001 standard
Akron, IA
Pop: 2,432
51024 standard
Hinton, IA
Pop: 2,070
51028 standard
Kingsley, IA
Pop: 2,065
51062 standard
Westfield, IA
Pop: 526

Related Areas

Plymouth County Merrill, IA Iowa

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.

Read our methodology to see how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.