Merritt, Illinois Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 56, Merritt's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Merritt is a small community located in Illinois, within Scott County. The total population is 56. It ranks as the 1394th most populous out of 1,445 Census-designated places in Illinois.

Age Demographics

The median age in Merritt is 12.0 years. This is 69% lower than the state median of 39.0 years. With 75.0% of the population under 18, Merritt has a notably young demographic profile, suggesting a family-oriented community.

Economy, Income & Housing

The ACS records no residents below the poverty line in Merritt. In a community this small the estimate rests on very few survey responses, so it should be read as an absence of measurement rather than a measured absence of poverty. The survey records no unemployed residents in Merritt, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. Every occupied housing unit the survey reached in Merritt was renter-occupied. At this sample size that indicates no owner-occupied homes were captured rather than that none exist.

Race & Ethnicity

Merritt has a predominantly Black or African American population, comprising 91.1% of all residents. White (non-Hispanic) residents account for 8.9%. The White (non-Hispanic) population (8.9%) is well below the state average of 58.1%. The Black or African American population is significantly higher than the state average (91.1% vs 13.3%).

Education

0.0% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is among the lowest rates in the state, which may correlate with employment and income patterns. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. No surveyed resident aged 25 or older reported leaving school before earning a high school diploma, though a rate of exactly 100% reflects the limits of a small sample.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Merritt, Illinois is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against Illinois state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 1,445 Census-designated places in Illinois. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.