Impact vs Merkel
Impact, Texas versus Merkel, Texas: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.
Impact and Merkel score about the same overall (50 vs 51 of 100) — the differences are in the individual factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | Impact | Merkel |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | — | $67k |
| Cost of Living | $47k | $47k |
| Home Value | — | $95k |
| Monthly Rent | — | $988 |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $5 | $660 |
| Property Tax Rate | — | 1.29% |
| Income Tax | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Sales Tax | 8.20% | 8.20% |
| Estimated total tax burden | — | 4.54% |
| Unemployment | — | 1.9% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 46°F | 46°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 84°F | 84°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 24.4 in | 25.7 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 3.7 in | 1.5 in |
| Sunny Days | 262 days | 301 days |
| Summer Humidity | 66°F | 60°F |
| Comfortable Days | 78 days | 75 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 30.5 | 52.2 |
| School Quality | 46.8 | 39.3 |
| Violent Crime | 2147/100k | 740/100k |
| Property Crime | 1768/100k | 782/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 12 | 2,646 |
| Median Age | 62.5 | 31.7 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.28 | 0.30 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 0.71 | 0.81 |
| Political Leaning | R+46 | R+46 |
| White (%) | 16.7% | 71.1% |
| Black (%) | 0.0% | 2.3% |
| Hispanic (%) | 83.3% | 22.6% |
| Asian (%) | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 0.0% | 3.8% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Commute Time | — | 34 min |
| Walkability | 6.9/20 | 6.6/20 |
| Airport Distance | 160 mi | 175 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 50.0% | 88.5% |
| Amenities Nearby | 70000.00 | 49.13 |
| Park & Nature Access | Moderate | Moderate |
Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Impact or Merkel more affordable?
- Merkel has the lower cost of living: its index is $47k, compared with Impact's $47k and Merkel's $47k.
- Is Impact or Merkel safer?
- Merkel has the lower violent crime rate. Impact reports 2147/100k and Merkel reports 740/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).