Jury Pool Profile
Merrick County, Nebraska
- County seat
- Central City
- Judicial district
- 5th Judicial District Court
- Population (July 2025 estimate)
- 7,905
- Census PEP. The five-year ACS survey average is 7,724.
At a glance
Merrick County is a 7,905-person venue. The county population is 92% White (Census race-alone categories). Median household income is $73,291, $3,287 below the NE state median of $76,578; 18.3% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher. 2.9% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, most commonly Spanish and Russian, Polish, or other Slavic. The largest employment sector is Education & health services, at 28.9% of covered employment, average pay $46,612/year. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 2.4%, below the 2.98% state average. The county carried the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, 2020, and 2024, taking 79% to 82% of the vote across the three.
- Population
- 7,724
- Median household income
- $68,354
- Unemployment
- 2.4%
Who sits on a jury?
≥70% White (race-alone) and <20% Black. This county: 92% / 0%.
Merrick County has a population of 7,724, with a median age of 43.2. By Census race-alone categories, White residents make up 92.1%; Black residents 0.0%. Independently, 5.6% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The median household earns $73,291; 18.3% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher; 9.8% live below the federal poverty line.
Economic context
BLS QCEW 'Natural resources & mining' (oil & gas) is ≥5% of total covered employment. This county: 5.6%.
Education & health services is the largest employment sector at 28.9% of covered employment, followed by Trade, transportation & utilities at 19.4%. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 2.4%, below the Nebraska state average.
Political composition
Republican candidate carried this county in 2016, 2020, and 2024 (avg winning share: 80%). 'Strongly' threshold: ≥60% avg.
Merrick County was carried by the Republican candidate in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 cycles, with 81.8% in 2024, 79.8% in 2020, 78.6% in 2016.
Languages, households, faith & health
Family households are 64% of all households (thresholds: ≥70% = 'family-dominant'; 50–70% = 'family-majority'; <50% = 'singles/nonfamily-majority'). 2.9% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home (threshold for 'linguistically diverse' is ≥10%).
2.9% of residents 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home. The most common are Spanish, Russian, Polish, or other Slavic, German or other West Germanic. Veterans account for 8.1% of the adult civilian population (483 individuals).