• county
  • FIPS 31121
  • Largest town: Central City

Merrick County, Nebraska

Merrick County had 7,837 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 487.8 square miles of land. It ranks 37th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 77th by land area.

Population
7,837
#37 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,584 in US
Area
487.8 sq mi
#77 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,130 in US
Density
16 / sq mi
#27 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,359 in US
Median household income
$72,297
#19 of 93 in Nebraska · #835 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Merrick County within Nebraska. Pin: Lincoln.

Measure from here

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Merrick County population, land area and income

Merrick County had 7,837 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 487.8 square miles of land. It ranks 37th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 77th by land area. That works out to 16.1 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Nebraska has 6,103 residents; Merrick County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $72,297 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

7,837

3144th1st

2584th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

488 sq mi

3144th1st

2130th of 3,144 (US)

Density

16.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

2359th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$72,297

3143rd1st

835th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Nebraska (93)

Population

7,837

93rd1st

37th of 93 (NE)

Land area

488 sq mi

93rd1st

77th of 93 (NE)

Density

16.1 / sq mi

93rd1st

27th of 93 (NE)

Median household income

$72,297

93rd1st

19th of 93 (NE)

How Merrick County's population changed since 2020

Merrick County gained 177 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.3%. That ranks 13th of 93 in Nebraska for growth. The median Nebraska county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +2.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Merrick County recorded 359 births and 416 deaths, a natural change of -57. Net international migration added +23 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +210. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 210 people.

7,66020207,66620217,70920227,74620237,8372024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
359
Deaths
416
Net international migration
+23
Net domestic migration
+210
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+91

Where Merrick County is

The Census internal point of Merrick County is at 41.169800, -98.031100. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Nebraska's 93 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Merrick County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

York County: +1.9%Boone County: -0.1%Grant County: -7.0%Saline County: +0.2%Adams County: +0.1%Clay County: -0.1%Logan County: -3.3%Hamilton County: +1.7%Thomas County: -5.9%Lancaster County: +3.0%Sherman County: -0.1%Lincoln County: -3.5%Stanton County: -1.1%Dawes County: -1.9%Madison County: +0.1%Perkins County: -2.9%Arthur County: -2.1%Deuel County: +3.2%Banner County: -1.9%Dundy County: -4.2%Garfield County: -5.4%Wheeler County: +4.3%Seward County: +0.9%Johnson County: -1.4%Wayne County: +1.7%Hayes County: -0.4%Gosper County: -4.6%Blaine County: +6.1%Valley County: -0.6%Keith County: -2.1%Antelope County: +1.3%Hooker County: -1.3%Hitchcock County: -6.1%Box Butte County: -1.1%Morrill County: -1.6%Chase County: -3.2%Howard County: +1.3%Holt County: +0.1%Phelps County: +0.7%Cuming County: -0.7%Jefferson County: -1.7%Garden County: -4.5%Dodge County: +2.1%Buffalo County: +1.9%Butler County: +1.0%Fillmore County: -1.0%Boyd County: -5.7%Nuckolls County: +0.1%Loup County: -3.8%Sioux County: -3.7%Thayer County: -3.1%Cheyenne County: +1.2%Rock County: -1.9%Nance County: -3.9%Greeley County: +0.8%Hall County: +0.1%Brown County: -0.9%Dakota County: -1.0%Kearney County: +0.9%Webster County: -1.9%Nemaha County: -0.6%Franklin County: -2.5%Furnas County: -3.5%Sarpy County: +7.1%Platte County: +3.5%Kimball County: -3.0%Polk County: +1.0%Dixon County: -1.1%Knox County: -1.0%Thurston County: -1.8%Douglas County: +2.7%Scotts Bluff County: -0.9%Pierce County: -0.1%Burt County: +0.0%Merrick County: +2.3%Sheridan County: -3.5%Washington County: +1.6%Frontier County: +1.3%Colfax County: +2.6%Cass County: +3.3%Pawnee County: -0.8%Richardson County: -2.5%Cedar County: -1.3%Gage County: +0.2%Dawson County: +2.0%Keya Paha County: +7.8%Cherry County: +1.9%McPherson County: -5.1%Otoe County: +4.3%Red Willow County: -2.6%Custer County: -0.0%Harlan County: -1.2%Saunders County: +4.6%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -3.0%
  2. < -1.1%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.7%
  5. ≥ +1.7%
no data

Orange pin: Merrick County internal point. Dark pin: Lincoln.

Internal point

Decimal
41.169800, -98.031100
DMS
41°10'11.28"N 98°01'51.96"W
UTM
14N 581277.0E 4558059.2N
Geohash
9z661nxzm
Plus code
86H35X99+WH

Towns in Merrick County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Merrick County, 3,145 people together, or 40% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Merrick County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Central City with 3,145.

  1. 01Central City3,145
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Merrick County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Merrick County. The most populous is Hall County, NE, with 62,869 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Lincoln and the nearest big city

Lincoln is 73.8 miles ESE of Merrick County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lincoln, NE (population 300,619), 74.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Grand Island, NE (population 53,250), 24.2 miles away.

Merrick County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Merrick County is 31121: state code 31 for Nebraska plus county code 121. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $72,297.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Merrick County, Nebraska?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 7,837. That is up 177 people (2.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 7,660.

What is the FIPS code of Merrick County?

31121. The first two digits (31) are Nebraska; the last three (121) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Merrick County?

Central City, with 3,145 residents inside Merrick County in 2024.

Which counties border Merrick County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Hall County, NE; Platte County, NE; Hamilton County, NE; Howard County, NE; Polk County, NE; Nance County, NE.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.