Merna, NE · standard
ZIP Code 68856
Custer County, Nebraska - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 611
- 2/sq mi Low-density area
- $73,000
- Median income Near-median income area
- $190,000
- Median home value Near-median home value
- 23.0%
- Bachelor's or higher Near-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Merna pairs an above-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 49%
- household income, US ZIPs
- 41st pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 2
- people per sq mi
- 78%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 68856 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 68856 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Merna, Custer County, Nebraska, home to just 611 residents across 291.0 square miles, a density of 2 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 68856 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $73,000 (5% below the average Nebraska ZIP), while per-capita income is $37,384. The poverty rate is 11.2%, with unemployment at 0.8%; those measures add context to the income figure. Median home value is $190,000 (2% above the average Nebraska ZIP) and median rent is $983; 77.9% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 23.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 38.2, and the average commute is -. No nearby ZIP peer set is available for this delivery area, so the Nebraska and national benchmarks above are the appropriate context for 68856.
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 →
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 68856, Merna, NE · 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
611
Population
291.0
Area (sq mi)
2
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 68856?
38.2
Median Age
56.6%
Male
43.4%
Female
0.1%
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?
$73,000
Median Household Income
-5% vs state ZIP avg
$37,384
Per Capita Income
11.2%
Poverty Rate
0.8%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 68856 ranks among Nebraska ZIPs
Merna, NE household income vs. every Nebraska ZIP code
Median household income among 556 reporting Nebraska ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$73,000 48th percentile higher than 48% of 556 Nebraska ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Nebraska 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
303housing units
303
Total Housing Units
272
Occupied Units
31
Vacant Units
2.63
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$190,000
Median Home Value
+2% vs state ZIP avg
$983
Median Rent
1963
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 16 business establishments in ZIP 68856, employing approximately 86 people with a combined annual payroll of $2,703,000.
16
Businesses
86
Employees
$2.7M
Annual Payroll
2
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 4 | 25.0% |
| Retail trade | 4 | 25.0% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 68856, both outside NE so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Custer County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 68856 in?
ZIP code 68856 (Merna) is located in Custer County, Nebraska. Custer County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/custer-ne.
What is the population of ZIP code 68856?
ZIP code 68856 in Merna, NE has a population of 611 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 68856?
The median household income in ZIP 68856 is $73,000, which is 4% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 68856?
The median home value in ZIP 68856 is $190,000, which is 32% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 68856?
The largest racial group in ZIP 68856 is White at 90.3%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 1.7% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 68856?
ZIP code 68856 has 16 business establishments employing approximately 86 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 68856?
In ZIP code 68856, 55.1% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 23.0% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 68856?
In ZIP code 68856, approximately 77.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 22.1% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 68856?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 68856 is 11.2% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
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What to do with ZIP 68856's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 68856 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Merna, NE ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
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ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.