Merriam, Kansas
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
Read it as a page
-
Population
Growing. Up 3.8% since 2020.
11,509
people, the 32nd-largest of Kansas's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Kansas's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
-
The workday
Nearly every job here goes to someone who lives somewhere else.
97.3%
of 12,733 jobs located in Merriam are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
-
Rent
Median rent is up 51% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$1,181
a month. Kansas's median is $1,060.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
-
The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.
A $2,307 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Johnson County.
- $988 Tract 535.57
- $3,295 Tract 536.03
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
-
Room to build
The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.
$1,181–$1,772
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $1,181 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
-
Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 763 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
- 98% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 91% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
-
Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.3–2.3% to the 5,537 homes here.
19–127
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
-
Home value
A median home costs 21% more than Kansas's.
$263,300
median home value in Merriam.
- $263,300 Merriam
- $217,200 Kansas
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year