Merrick County Demographics

A map of Merrick County's Population by Race

Merrick County, Nebraska has an estimated population of 7,724, a less than 1% change from the 7,668 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.5% White, 5.6% Hispanic, 3.1% Multiracial, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% Black, and 0.0% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Merrick County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Merrick is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Nebraska overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Merrick County, that probability was 17.7% in 2020 and 17.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Merrick County is ranked the 38th most populous county in Nebraska, out of 93 counties. Merrick County was ranked the 38th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Merrick County's White Population

6,992 residents of Merrick County, or 90.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Merrick County is significantly higher than in Nebraska overall, where 75.3% of the population is White. Merrick County ranks 54th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Merrick County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Merrick County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 90.5%.

Merrick County is more White than neighboring Polk County (90.1% White), and York County (87.9% White). Merrick County is less White than neighboring Nance County (94.1% White), Hamilton County (91.9% White), and Howard County (91.1% White).

Merrick County's Black Population

0 residents of Merrick County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Merrick County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 4.6% of the population is Black. Merrick County ranks 30th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Merrick County's Black population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Black residents' share of Merrick County's population has decreased from 0.5% to 0.0%.

Merrick County is less Black than neighboring Nance County (0.2% Black), Hamilton County (0.2% Black), Polk County (0.2% Black), Howard County (0.6% Black), and York County (1.3% Black).

Merrick County's Asian Population

57 residents of Merrick County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Merrick County is comparable to the share in Nebraska overall, where 2.6% of the population is Asian. Merrick County ranks 39th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Merrick County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 96.6%. Asian residents' share of Merrick County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Merrick County is more Asian than neighboring Nance County (0.2% Asian), Hamilton County (0.5% Asian), Polk County (0.2% Asian), Howard County (0.1% Asian), and York County (0.5% Asian).

Merrick County's Hispanic Population

435 residents of Merrick County, or 5.6% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Merrick County is lower than in Nebraska overall, where 12.7% of the population is Hispanic. Merrick County ranks 44th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Merrick County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 16.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Merrick County's population has increased from 4.9% to 5.6%.

Merrick County is more Hispanic than neighboring Nance County (2.6% Hispanic), Hamilton County (4.3% Hispanic), and Howard County (3.2% Hispanic). Merrick County is less Hispanic than neighboring Polk County (6.3% Hispanic), and York County (6.2% Hispanic).

Merrick County's Native American/Other Population

1 residents of Merrick County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Merrick County is comparable to the share in Nebraska overall, where 1% of the population is Native American/Other. Merrick County ranks 71st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Merrick County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 96.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Merrick County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Merrick County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Nance County (0.8% Native American/Other), Hamilton County (0.2% Native American/Other), Polk County (0.3% Native American/Other), and York County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Merrick County's Multiracial Population

239 residents of Merrick County, or 3.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Merrick County is comparable to the share in Nebraska overall, where 3.8% of the population is Multiracial. Merrick County ranks 16th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Merrick County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 7.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Merrick County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.1%.

Merrick County is more Multiracial than neighboring Nance County (2.2% Multiracial), Hamilton County (3% Multiracial), and Polk County (2.9% Multiracial). Merrick County is less Multiracial than neighboring Howard County (4.9% Multiracial), and York County (3.3% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.