Work & commute · Merkel

Work & commute in Merkel, TX

About one in 5 of Merkel’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Abilene (38%), Dallas (2%) and Fort Worth (2%). Half commute less than 17 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

20%

228 of 1,145 working residents

Typical commute

17 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

27 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 917 Merkel residents head out of town to work, 228 work right here, and 669 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Merkel.

917live here, work elsewhere

228live and work here

669work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Merkel goes to work

Abilene15.9 mi away

38%438

Merkel (in town)right here

20%228

Dallas190.1 mi away

2%26

Fort Worth156.4 mi away

2%21

Austin200.5 mi away

2%19

Tye8.5 mi away

1%17

San Angelo75.6 mi away

1%16

Sweetwater23.2 mi away

1%15

Midland126.6 mi away

1%14

San Antonio225.6 mi away

1%10

Everywhere elseother towns and states

30%341

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Merkel commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

25%

43%

30%

25%Under 10 mi

43%10–24 mi

2%25–50 mi

30%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Merkel is balanced between jobs and homes

0.78jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (0.78 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Merkel are

897 jobs are based in Merkel. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Merkel’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Merkel

897 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)26%

Trade, transport & utilities22%

Services (health, schools, offices…)52%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month28%

Over $3,333 a month61%

Jobs Merkel residents hold

1,145 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)17%

Trade, transport & utilities22%

Services (health, schools, offices…)61%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month55%

+72%

Jobs based in Merkel, 2013 → 2023: 523 → 897. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.