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CITY

Merrillville

Indiana · 37,407 residents (2025 est.) · 33.2 sq mi
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The short version

Merrillville is home to 36,476 people in Indiana. About 26% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The typical home is worth $211,400, having more than doubled since 2000. The median age is 42.4, about 3 years above the US median. 6% of people here were born outside the United States. 5,916 more people live here than in 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.4
US median: 38.9
Less educated
26% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

36,476
+19%since 2000
from 30,560 in 2000
37,407 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
1,098 / sq mi
+13%since 2009
from 970 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
42.4
+15%since 2000
from 37.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
33.2 sq mi
Population, 19902024
26K29K32K35K37K19902000201020202024Merrillville
202436K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.8%(1,387)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.2%(1,899)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.9%(2,166)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 198.1%(2,957)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.9%(2,534)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.6%(4,226)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.7%(4,263)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.1%(4,400)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414%(5,104)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7413.1%(4,774)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.4%(1,970)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.2%(796)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

$67,587
−25%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $49,545 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
$36,629
+64%since 2000
from $22,293 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
43.6%
+15.4 ptssince 2009
from 28.1% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
12.6%
+8.3 ptssince 2000
from 4.3% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
0.448
+14%since 2010
from 0.391 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade14.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.4%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance9.4%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical8.5%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade4.8%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services3.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.8%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

$211,400
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $101,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
$1,282
Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000
from $704 in 2000
US average: $1,442
70.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2000
from 70.6% in 2000
29.5% rent
4.5%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 6.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
2.32 people
−8%since 2009
from 2.53 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
24.9%
−5.4 ptssince 2009
from 30.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
53.7%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 53.0% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
3.1
+21%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
47
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic64.5%(19,701)
Black22.6%(6,908)
Hispanic / Latino9.7%(2,950)
Asian1.5%(450)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic33.4%(12,185)
Black46.1%(16,811)
Hispanic / Latino15.6%(5,692)
Asian1%(365)
Other3.9%(1,423)
81
+10%since 2009
from 74 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican11.1%(4,037)
Puerto Rican3.1%(1,122)
Cuban0.5%(178)
Guatemalan0.2%(68)
Colombian0.2%(60)
Salvadoran0.1%(43)
Venezuelan0.1%(21)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.4%(130)
Filipino0.3%(125)
Taiwanese0.1%(48)
Japanese0.1%(46)
Pakistani0%(12)
Korean0%(9)
Chinese0%(8)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(7)
Ancestry
German7.9%(2,865)
Irish5.9%(2,142)
Polish4%(1,476)
English3.5%(1,275)
American2.9%(1,054)
Dutch2.3%(847)
Italian2.2%(805)
Arab1.9%(688)
West Indian1.7%(621)
Greek1.3%(483)
Slovak0.9%(343)
+ 32 more ancestry groups with data
Jamaican0.9%(338)
Romanian0.8%(278)
French0.5%(183)
Croatian0.5%(170)
Swedish0.5%(167)
Lithuanian0.4%(156)
Ghanaian0.4%(152)
Scottish0.4%(149)
Swiss0.4%(141)
Hungarian0.3%(124)
Czech0.3%(109)
Serbian0.3%(96)
Scotch-Irish0.2%(80)
British0.2%(76)
Macedonian0.1%(51)
Nigerian0.1%(50)
Norwegian0.1%(42)
Lebanese0.1%(32)
Armenian0.1%(25)
Austrian0.1%(25)
Somali0.1%(19)
Canadian0%(17)
Haitian0%(14)
Danish0%(13)
Ethiopian0%(13)
Finnish0%(12)
Kenyan0%(10)
Welsh0%(10)
Israeli0%(8)
Russian0%(8)
Section 05

Education

26.1%
+5.9 ptssince 2000
from 20.2% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
92.3%
+5.8 ptssince 2000
from 86.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
9.7%
+3.1 ptssince 2000
from 6.7% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

32.1 min
+58%since 2000
from 20.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
82.2%
−4.9 ptssince 2009
from 87.1% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
4.9%
−2.8 ptssince 2009
from 7.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
1.9%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
7.3%
+5.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
1.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
8.4%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 6.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

7.5%
−3.4 ptssince 2011
from 10.9% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
61.3%
−4.5 ptssince 2011
from 65.8% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
79.5%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 78.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
12.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 12.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
29.5%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 27.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

47.8%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 47.5% in 2009
52.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 52.5% in 2009
6.3%
+2.8 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
7.0%
−4.4 ptssince 2009
from 11.4% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
14.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2012
from 14.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
6.5%
−8.0 ptssince 2013
from 14.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
87.7%
+8.0 ptssince 2017
from 79.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
93.1%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 90.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
89.7%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 87.2% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
88.7%
−1.0 ptssince 2016
from 89.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
7.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2016
from 7.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married44.6%(6,515)
Married41.2%(6,023)
Widowed2%(295)
Divorced12.2%(1,789)
Women 15+
Never married34.4%(5,643)
Married36.4%(5,968)
Widowed13.1%(2,145)
Divorced16.1%(2,646)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

6.5%
−8.0 ptssince 2013
from 14.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
56.6%
−8.2 ptssince 2020
from 64.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
10.5%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 11.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
21.7%
+3.8 ptssince 2020
from 17.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
22.5%
+3.6 ptssince 2020
from 18.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 2.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
64.8%
−8.9 ptssince 2020
from 73.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
41.7%
+6.5 ptssince 2020
from 35.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)28.8%(581)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)25.4%(512)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era23%(464)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War1.1%(23)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(15)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,016 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Merrillville, Indiana?

Merrillville, Indiana has about 36,476 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Merrillville, Indiana?

The typical household in Merrillville, Indiana earns about $67,587 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Merrillville, Indiana expensive?

In Merrillville, Indiana, the median home is worth about $211,400, and the typical rent is about $1,282 a month.

How educated are people in Merrillville, Indiana?

About 26.1% of adults age 25 and over in Merrillville, Indiana hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Merrillville, Indiana?

About 12.6% of people in Merrillville, Indiana live below the federal poverty line.

Has Merrillville, Indiana grown since 1990?

Yes, Merrillville, Indiana has grown since 1990. The population has added about 9,219 residents, a change of about 34 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →