Population
3,495 residents
Census ACS 2023 — Wisconsin
City profile · Wisconsin · Census ACS 2023
Merton, WI
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Merton — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 3,495
- Residents
- $168,661
- Median income
- $539,900
- Median home
- $1,097
- Median rent
Data Snapshot: Merton, WI
Merton is a city in Wisconsin with a population of 3,495 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $168,661 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 0.8%. Typical homes in Merton are valued around $539,900, and the median resident age is 40.4 years. About 60.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 74.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 21 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Rapid Growth), up 31% from five years earlier.
On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Wisconsin registers 94.1 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,097 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $225 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 59.1 out of 100 (Moderate).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).
Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.
Median Household Income
$168,661 /yr
Poverty 0.8%
Cost of Living Index
94.1 (US=100)
Near Average — BEA RPP 2024
How does Merton compare to other US cities?
Where Merton sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 96% higher than other cities
Home value 86% pricier than other cities
Median rent 29% pricier than other cities
Percentiles compare Merton against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 60.9%
Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.8%
Census ACS S1701 — poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 74.3%
Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
3,495
Median Income
$168,661
Median Home Value
$539,900
Median Age
40.4
Poverty Rate
0.8%
Labor force participation
74.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
60.9%
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Housing Supply
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized
📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
21
housing units authorized
Single-Family
21
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
6
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 16 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 18 |
| 2022 | 26 |
| 2023 | 18 |
| 2024 | 21 |
Permit volume increased 31% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
71.8%
Carpool
5.3%
Public Transit
0.3%
Walk
0.5%
Work from Home
20.1%
Other
2.0%
Based on 1,975 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Wisconsin — EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$100
avg/month
Natural Gas
$80
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$225
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Wisconsin state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Wisconsin state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard
Cost of Living Index
94.1
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,097/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
59.1 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score
Explore More Data for Merton
Crime statistics in Merton
FBI UCR crime rates and safety scores
Schools in Merton
NCES public school data and enrollment
Rent prices in Wisconsin
HUD Fair Market Rents by metro area
Cost of living in Wisconsin
BEA regional price parity data
Climate normals
NOAA 30-year climate data
Air quality data
EPA air quality index data
Water quality data
EPA drinking water data
Natural disaster risk
FEMA & NOAA hazard data
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Race & Ethnicity Composition
National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.
How Merton compares to nearby Wisconsin cities
Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks
Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Merton) plus the nearest peer cities in Wisconsin, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
WI
Merton
168.66% top marginal rate
WI
Sauk City
65.00% top marginal rate
WI
Black River Falls
65.00% top marginal rate
WI
Lake Delton
65.00% top marginal rate
Census ACS 5-year FIPS WI NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Merton, WI?
What is the population of Merton, WI? +
Merton, WI has a population of 3,495 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Merton, WI? +
The median household income in Merton is $168,661 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Merton? +
Merton has a cost of living index of 94.1 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.
What is the median home value in Merton, WI? +
The median home value in Merton is $539,900, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial