Merkel, TX · standard
ZIP Code 79536
Taylor County, Texas - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 4,988
- 6/sq mi
- $71,131
- Median income
- $136,400
- Median home value
- 14.7%
- Bachelor's or higher
National ZIP placement
Merkel pairs a below-median household income with among the most affordable home values nationally, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 48th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 21st pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 6
- people per sq mi
- 74%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 79536 against every reporting US ZIP.
FHFA HPI release change
What changed in the latest House Price Index year
- FHFA House Price Index values in ZIP 79536 (Merkel, TX) fell -7.4% from 2023 to 2024.
ZIP code 79536 covers 817.7 square miles in Merkel, Taylor County, Texas (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 4,988 residents on file, a density of 6 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 79536 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $71,131 (6% below the average Texas ZIP), while per-capita income is $38,922. The poverty rate is 13.7%, with unemployment at 1.3%; those measures add context to the income figure. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $136,400 (45% below the average Texas ZIP), and median rent is $1,198; owner occupancy is 74.0%.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 14.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 32.9, and the average commute is 27 minutes. The page also surfaces 2 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Taylor County, so 79536 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 79536
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Merkel, TX
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 79536.
- Construction
Construction
18 establishments
- Retail trade
Retail trade
14 establishments
- Other services (except public administration)
Other services (except public administration)
14 establishments
- Accommodation and food services 7
Accommodation and food services
7 establishments
- Finance and insurance 5
Finance and insurance
5 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 79536, Merkel, TX · 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
4,988
Population
817.7
Area (sq mi)
6
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 79536?
32.9
Median Age
48.6%
Male
51.4%
Female
2.4%
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?
$71,131
Median Household Income
-6% vs state ZIP avg
$38,922
Per Capita Income
13.7%
Poverty Rate
1.3%
Unemployment Rate
27.0 min
Mean Commute Time
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
2,065housing units
2,065
Total Housing Units
1,695
Occupied Units
370
Vacant Units
2.95
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$136,400
Median Home Value
-45% vs state ZIP avg
$1,198
Median Rent
1980
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 83 business establishments in ZIP 79536, employing approximately 795 people with a combined annual payroll of $41,545,000.
83
Businesses
795
Employees
$41.5M
Annual Payroll
12
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 18 | 21.7% |
| Retail trade | 14 | 16.9% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 14 | 16.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 7 | 8.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 5 | 6.0% |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 4.8% |
| Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | 3 | 3.6% |
| Utilities | 3 | 3.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 3 | 3.6% |
| Information | 3 | 3.6% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 3 | 3.6% |
| Health care and social assistance | 3 | 3.6% |
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 79536 vs 79563 →
ZIP 79536 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 79603
Abilene (79603)
24,288 residents
- 79536 4,988
Merkel (79536)
4,988 residents
- 79563 1,161
Tye (79563)
1,161 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 79536 ranks #2 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 79536 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 79536
Merkel (79536)
$71,131 median income
- 79603
Abilene (79603)
$53,513 median income
- 79563
Tye (79563)
$49,276 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 79536 ranks the highest of 3 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 79536, both outside TX so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (4,988 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.