City · Lincoln County, Wisconsin

Merrill, Wisconsin

Merrill is a city in Lincoln County, Wisconsin. It has 9,356 residents. Merrill, Wisconsin has a quality-of-life score of 63 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,768 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Wisconsin it ranks #348 of 396 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), mammography screening (high) and hot days (low). It ranks worst on adult obesity (high), distance to an Amtrak station (high) and mental health providers (low).

63High

Quality-of-life score: #5,768 of 15,651 cities and towns
Wisconsin: #348 of 396 in WI
Population: 9,356 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 1,250.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 5551250

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.

Safety66#5,326/15,637
Economy18#12,846/15,631
Housing55#6,725/14,977
Health31#10,843/15,609
Healthcare64#5,703/15,650
Environment90#1,498/15,453
Education45#8,586/15,649
Infrastructure48#8,188/15,650
Community89#1,779/15,651
Leisure & amenities77#3,638/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Merrill, Wisconsin ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lincoln 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

Restaurants and bars · high17.3 /10k
97/100Wisconsin 12.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLincoln County value
Mammography screening · high58.0%
97/100Wisconsin 53.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLincoln County value
Hot days · low1 days
95/100Wisconsin 4 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLincoln County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.8 µg/m³
92/100Wisconsin 7.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLincoln County value
Average commute time · low18.4 min
91/100Wisconsin 22.2 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Wisconsin 4.2United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLincoln County value

Weaknesses

Adult obesity · high44.2%
6/100Wisconsin 39.2%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Distance to an Amtrak station · high99 mi
10/100Wisconsin 40 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLincoln County value
Mental health providers · low74 /100k
10/100Wisconsin 282 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLincoln County value
Job growth · low-2.3%
11/100Wisconsin 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataLincoln County value
New business applications · low8.6 /1k
11/100Wisconsin 12.0 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauLincoln County value
Distance to an airport · high92 mi
12/100Wisconsin 37 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLincoln County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedWorsening
1.5 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
42.7% (2015-2019) → 58.7% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.8% (2015-2019) → 89.3% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
12.4% (2015-2019) → 20.2% (2020-2024)
+7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.8× (2015-2019) → 2.3× (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
26.9% (2015-2019) → 32.9% (2020-2024)
+6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Merrill, Wisconsin improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 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

Property tax−0.5 points2.22% → 1.73%
Broadband+12 points76.8% → 89.3%

Declined4

Inequality+0.0690.380 → 0.449
Rent burden+16 points42.7% → 58.7%
Rent / income+6 points26.9% → 32.9%
Price / income+0.6×1.8× → 2.3×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Merrill, Wisconsin between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.5 min2015-2019	18.4 min2020-2024	−0.1 min	Within the margin of error	49%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.3%2015-2019	15.0%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Broadband subscriptions	76.8%2015-2019	89.3%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	71%
Child poverty rate	12.4%2015-2019	20.2%2020-2024	+7.7 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Effective property tax rate	2.22%2015-2019	1.73%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	90%
High school diploma or higher	90.5%2015-2019	92.2%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	44%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3802015-2019	0.4492020-2024	+0.069	Declined	10%
Median household income	$48,1592015-2019	$53,1482020-2024	+10%	Within the margin of error	17%
Poverty rate	12.7%2015-2019	17.4%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Rent as share of income	26.9%2015-2019	32.9%2020-2024	+6 points	Declined	18%
Rent-burdened households	42.7%2015-2019	58.7%2020-2024	+16 points	Declined	13%
Unemployment rate	3.6%2015-2019	4.2%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.3%2015-2019	5.2%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	27%

“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 Merrill, Wisconsin five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Merrill, Wisconsin 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, Merrill, Wisconsin itself moved −14.6 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

9,356 residents (±22)

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

4,374 households (±208)

Merrill, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $25k27%1,186
$25k–50k21%904
$50k–75k17%741

Homes

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

Owners and renters

4,374 households (±208)

Merrill, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Own61%2,674
Rent39%1,700

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

4,426 workers (±294)

Merrill, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Drive alone76%3,347
Carpool9.2%†405
Public transit0.5%†

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 Lincoln County, the county holding most of Merrill's residents.

Lincoln County has 686 employer establishments, 242 for every 10,000 residents (0.97× the US rate of 248; 0.99× Wisconsin's), with 8,854 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,789. The Census Bureau also counts 1,744 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 686; 1,744 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 242; US 248 · Wisconsin 244
Paid employees: 8,854
Average annual pay: $49,789; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	60	21.1	1.15×About typical	606	$17,589	8
Specialty trade contractors	59	20.8	1.34×More than typical	343	$60,988	160
Ambulatory health care services	47	16.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	258	$68,089	49
Full-service restaurants	33	11.6	1.51×More than typical	267	$19,768	3
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	26	9.2	7.55×More than typical	123	$14,675	20
Building equipment contractors	23	8.1	1.35×More than typical	215	$65,986	25
Religious organizations	22	7.7	1.40×More than typical	232	$19,793	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	21	7.4	1.47×More than typical	98	$45,133	27
Gasoline stations	21	7.4	2.28×More than typical	262	$23,397	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	21	7.4	1.10×About typical	116	$48,043	92
Truck transportation	20	7	1.39×More than typical	311	$60,334	56
Offices of physicians	19	6.7	1.03×About typical	136	$74,713	—

Rank places for an industry Open Lincoln County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 28,403 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Merrill, Wisconsin: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

155.6KFY2017
9.1FY2018
111.2FY2019
182.1FY2022
200.3FY2023

What was bought

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 Merrill, Wisconsin, so they do not add up across cities.

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

See federal money in Lincoln 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.

Merrill, Wisconsin is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Thomas P. TiffanyR-WI-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 10.4%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

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

Lincoln County82100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lincoln County

Largest first.

Tomahawk723,395

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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/5551250

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends