Merritt Island is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Florida. With a population of 34,518 people and 14 associated neighborhoods, Merritt Island is the 99th largest community in Florida.Unlike some towns, Merritt Island isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Merritt Island are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Merritt Island is a town of professionals, sales and office workers, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Merritt Island who work in management occupations (11.65%), sales jobs (9.86%), and office and administrative support (9.79%). Also of interest is that Merritt Island has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 14.64% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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. Merritt Island is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities. Merritt Island is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 41.50% of adults in Merritt Island have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher. The per capita income in Merritt Island in 2022 was $48,751, which is upper middle income relative to Florida, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $195,004 for a family of four. However, Merritt Island contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Merritt Island is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Merritt Island home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Merritt Island residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Merritt Island include English, German, Irish, Italian, and Polish. The most common language spoken in Merritt Island is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Tagalog.
