Census-designated place · Nassau County, New York

Merrick, New York

Merrick is a census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 21,744 residents. Merrick, New York has a quality-of-life score of 99 out of 100 (very high), ranking #169 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New York it ranks #27 of 859 cities and towns. It ranks best on food environment index (high), child poverty rate (low) and public transit commuters (high). It ranks worst on average commute time (high), high ozone days (high) and effective property tax rate (high).

99Very high

Quality-of-life score: #169 of 15,651 cities and towns
New York: #27 of 859 in NY
Population: 21,744 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 5,838.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 3646668

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety94#949/15,637
Economy98#294/15,631
Housing14#12,877/14,977
Health98#259/15,609
Healthcare99#83/15,650
Environment86#2,112/15,453
Education94#1,006/15,649
Infrastructure89#1,713/15,650
Community94#995/15,651
Leisure & amenities95#683/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Merrick, New York ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Nassau County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Food environment index · high10.0
100/100New York 8.7United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNassau County value
Child poverty rate · low1.2%
99/100New York 17.9%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Public transit commuters · high14.6%
99/100New York 21.6%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Median household income · high$185,740
98/100New York $85,768United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Suicide rate · low5.8 /100k
98/100New York 8.5 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataNassau County value
Primary care physicians · high139 /100k
97/100New York 83 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNassau County value

Weaknesses

Average commute time · high38.5 min
0/100New York 32.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
High ozone days · high10 days
7/100New York 4 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyNassau County value
Effective property tax rate · high2.02%
7/100New York 1.30%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Time spent in the emergency room · high217 min
14/100New York 202 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesNassau County value
Rent-burdened households · high47.2%
28/100New York 52.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · high19.2%
29/100New York 31.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071High uncertainty

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
20,130 (2015-2019) → 21,744 (2020-2024)
+8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Public transit commutersWorsening
23.6% (2015-2019) → 14.6% (2020-2024)
−9 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
27.8% (2015-2019) → 19.2% (2020-2024)
−8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
39.5% (2015-2019) → 47.2% (2020-2024)
+7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
92.2% (2015-2019) → 96.5% (2020-2024)
+4.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$158,306 (2015-2019) → $185,740 (2020-2024)
+17%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Merrick, New York improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Broadband+4.3 points92.2% → 96.5%
Household income+17%$158,306 → $185,740

Declined2

Transit use−9 points23.6% → 14.6%
Price / income+0.5×3.6× → 4.2×

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Merrick, New York between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	41.4 min2015-2019	38.5 min2020-2024	−2.9 min	Within the margin of error	78%
Bachelor's degree or higher	61.7%2015-2019	64.4%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Broadband subscriptions	92.2%2015-2019	96.5%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Improved	27%
Effective property tax rate	2.30%2015-2019	2.02%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	71%
High school diploma or higher	95.6%2015-2019	95.8%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	4.2×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	45%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3942015-2019	0.4052020-2024	+0.011	Within the margin of error	41%
Median household income	$158,3062015-2019	$185,7402020-2024	+17%	Improved	28%
Poverty rate	3.3%2015-2019	2.3%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Public transit commuters	23.6%2015-2019	14.6%2020-2024	−9 points	Declined	2%
Rent-burdened households	39.5%2015-2019	47.2%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Unemployment rate	3.3%2015-2019	3.9%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	1.8%2015-2019	2.1%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	43%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Merrick, New York five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Merrick, New York in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Merrick, New York itself moved −3.6 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

21,744 residents (±1,198)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

7,349 households (±335)

Merrick, New York
New York share

Under $25k3.7%†271
$25k–50k5.6%†411
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

7,349 households (±335)

Merrick, New York
New York share

Own97%7,101
Rent3.4%†248

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

10,723 workers (±693)

Merrick, New York
New York share

Drive alone54%5,816
Carpool5.2%†561
Public transit15%1,565

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Nassau County, the county holding most of Merrick's residents.

Nassau County has 48,718 employer establishments, 351 for every 10,000 residents (1.41× the US rate of 248; 1.28× New York's), with 562,420 paid employees at an average annual pay of $67,891. The Census Bureau also counts 178,436 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 48,718; 178,436 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 351; US 248 · New York 274
Paid employees: 562,420
Average annual pay: $67,891; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Nassau County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	4,809	34.6	1.66×More than typical	63,224	$60,299	11,677
Restaurants and other eating places	3,405	24.5	1.33×More than typical	44,319	$29,245	685
Specialty trade contractors	2,825	20.3	1.31×More than typical	21,930	$85,644	6,157
Lessors of real estate	2,648	19.1	1.55×More than typical	9,362	$81,426	32,917
Construction of buildings	1,865	13.4	1.78×More than typical	7,590	$74,187	4,118
Legal services	1,781	12.8	2.38×More than typical	10,389	$101,915	3,700
Personal care services	1,747	12.6	2.64×More than typical	7,816	$23,460	3,418
Offices of physicians	1,666	12	1.85×More than typical	16,417	$92,818	2,483
Management, scientific and technical consulting	1,664	12	1.79×More than typical	6,945	$83,152	7,613
Offices of other health practitioners	1,592	11.5	1.89×More than typical	9,176	$43,392	6,190
Services to buildings and dwellings	1,530	11	1.63×More than typical	11,964	$43,715	5,982
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	1,432	10.3	2.53×More than typical	6,490	$85,101	3,683

Rank places for an industry Open Nassau County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,388,940 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $108.4K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Merrick, New York: $4.98 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $108.4K; −24% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4.98; US $1,994
Sole-source: 7.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 11%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$79.4K73%
Department of Veterans Affairs$22.8K21%
Department of the Navy$7,6757.1%
Federal Aviation Administration$2,8692.6%
U.S. Marshals Service$1750.2%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2.7MFY2017
3.2MFY2018
2.8MFY2019
3.7MFY2020
1.9MFY2021
466.5KFY2022
232.8KFY2023
136.6K

Top industries (NAICS)

Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$60.9K56%
Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$23K21%
Hardware manufacturing · 3325$10.4K9.6%
Other transit and ground passenger transportation · 4859$7,6757.1%
Machine shops and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing · 3327$1,6981.6%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353$1,643

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Merrick, New York, so they do not add up across cities.

Merrick, New York's figures are part of those of Nassau County, NY ($653.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Merrick is mostly in Nassau County.

See federal money in Nassau County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Merrick, New York is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Kirsten E. Gillibrand

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Nassau County97100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ68

Other cities and towns in Nassau County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3646668

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends