† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupMerrillvilleIndianaUnited States
African American†44.8%7.7%9.9%
African0.6%0.5%0.5%
Nigerian0.4%0.3%0.2%
Jamaican0.4%—0.4%
German9.3%19.5%12.5%
Irish6.9%10.1%9.4%
Polish6.3%2.6%2.2%
English3.9%11.3%9.5%
Italian3.2%2.4%4.8%
Dutch2.2%——
American1.8%6.9%5.3%
Slovak0.9%——
Mexican11.9%5.7%11.3%
Puerto Rican2.2%0.8%1.8%
Spaniard0.2%——
Asian Indian0.3%0.8%1.4%
Chinese0.2%0.4%1.3%
Filipino0.2%0.2%0.9%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Merrillville
Indiana
United States
Median age
42.4
38.2
39.1
Age 18–24
9.5%
9.6%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
20.7%
16.7%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Merrillville
Indiana
United States
Median household income
$67,587
$71,957
$84,427
Poverty rate
12.6%
12.4%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
26.1%
29.7%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Merrillville
Indiana
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
11.3%
10.4%
22.3%
Spanish
7.1%
5.5%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
1.4%
0.9%
2.0%
Other languages
1.2%
0.5%
0.8%
Religious landscape
Measure
Merrillville
Indiana
United States
Catholic
—
11.5%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
18.0%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
57.9%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Merrillville, Indiana
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+42.7%
2008
+52.0%
2012
+55.5%
2016
+49.8%
2020
+50.8%
2024
+44.2%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
71.5%Harris10,757
27.3%Trump4,105
1.2%
D+44.2
R+6.6
D+45.7
15,048
D
74.8%Biden12,222
24.1%Trump3,932
1.1%
D+50.8
D+0.9
D+46.3
16,330
D
73.0%Clinton11,061
23.2%Trump3,512
3.8%
D+49.8
R+5.7
D+47.7
15,147
D
77.1%Obama11,626
21.5%Romney3,251
1.4%
D+55.5
D+3.5
D+51.7
15,087
D
75.6%Obama11,391
23.6%McCain3,558
0.8%
D+52.0
D+9.3
D+44.7
15,065
D
71.3%Kerry9,537
28.6%Bush3,824
0.1%
D+42.7
—
D+45.2
13,373
Merrillville sits at the crossroads of U.S. 30 and I-65 in Lake County, a historically Democratic stronghold that has trended competitive at the local level as its suburban, majority-minority population continues to grow.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 55.5 points in 2012. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 6.6 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 44.2 points.
A population of 36,476, a 34% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $67,587 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Gary and Flint.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Merrillville, Indiana voted Democratic by 44.2 points (D+44.2), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 15,048 votes cast, 10,757 went Democratic and 4,105 went Republican.
How many people live in Merrillville, Indiana?
Merrillville, Indiana has a population of 36,476 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Merrillville, Indiana?
Median household income in Merrillville, Indiana is $67,587 — below the national median of $80,734. The Indiana state median is $71,957.
What is the political history of Merrillville, Indiana?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Merrillville, Indiana from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
