Merrick is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New York. With a population of 22,040 people and eight associated neighborhoods, Merrick is the 76th largest community in New York.

Merrick home prices are not only among the most expensive in New York, but Merrick real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Merrick has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Merrick telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 18.78% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Merrick is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.

Merrick is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Merrick’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

One of the nice things about Merrick is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

In Merrick, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 35.87 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average. One bright side is that local public transit is widely used, so it may be an option to avoid the headache of driving in the heavy traffic by leaving the car at home and taking transit.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the town are by private automobile, Merrick is somewhat unusual for a town of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the train helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Merrick area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

If knowledge is power, Merrick is a pretty powerful place. 62.31% of the adults in Merrick have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Merrick in 2022 was $71,089, which is wealthy relative to New York and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $284,356 for a family of four.

Merrick is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Merrick home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Merrick residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Merrick include Italian, Irish, German, Russian, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in Merrick is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.