Housing data for Merritt Island, FL
Merritt Island, FL has an estimated 34,992 residents and 17,006 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Brevard County.
20.0% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,441 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 34,992 (±2,107)
- Housing units
- 17,006 (±653)
- Households that rent
- 20.0%
- Median gross rent
- $1,441
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −4.2%
What stands out in Merritt Island
Homes built before 1980: 58.9% (±3.9 points) in Merritt Island, higher than in Brevard County (32.0%).
Rental vacancy rate: 18.3% (±5.7 points) in Merritt Island, higher than in Brevard County (10.8%).
Working from home: 19.0% (±2.7 points) in Merritt Island, higher than in Brevard County (14.6%).
Median home value: $402,900 (±$16,436) in Merritt Island, higher than in Brevard County ($339,600).
- Age of homes in Merritt Island
- Vacancy rate in Merritt Island
- Commute and cars in Merritt Island
- Home values in Merritt Island
Housing in Merritt Island at a glance
- Median rent: $1,441 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,397 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 53.3% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 20.0% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $94,012 median household income
- Home values: $402,900 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $2,070 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,557 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 14.6% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 75.9% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 58.9% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 18.3% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 81.8% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 25.3 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −4.2% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 21.0% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.7% of homes have more than 1 person per room
- Fair Market Rent: $1,730 Small Area FMR, 2 bedrooms (ZIP 32952)
Merritt Island against Brevard County, its state and the nation
| Merritt Island | Brevard County | Florida | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 34,992 (±2,107) | 632,780 (exact) | 22,416,077 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 17,006 (±653) | 299,305 (±218) | 10,256,470 (±942) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 20.0% (±2.2 points) | 23.3% (±0.6 points) | 32.4% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,441 (±$77) | $1,556 (±$27) | $1,669 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $94,012 (±$8,215) | $78,476 (±$1,054) | $74,568 (±$284) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $402,900 (±$16,436) | $339,600 (±$3,715) | $359,000 (±$930) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,557 (±$135) | $2,311 (±$40) | $2,730 (±$10) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 58.9% (±3.9 points) | 32.0% (±0.9 points) | 33.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 25.3 minutes (±1.9) | 25.4 minutes (±0.4) | 28.0 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 94.5% (±1.4 points) | 93.0% (±0.5 points) | 91.6% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 50.2 years (±1.8) | 46.7 years (±0.1) | 42.6 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Merritt Island covers 17.0 square miles of land, about 2,062 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Merritt Island has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 36,532 (±1,381) | 34,992 (±2,107) | −4.2% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 18,003 (±269) | 17,006 (±653) | −5.5% | Measurable decrease |
| Median gross rent | $1,019 (±$60) | $1,441 (±$77) | +41.4% | Up after inflation |
| Median home value | $264,600 (±$11,133) | $402,900 (±$16,436) | +52.3% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $64,865 (±$2,981) | $94,012 (±$8,215) | +44.9% | Up after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,635 (±$60) | $2,070 (±$145) | +26.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $2,145 (±$107) | $2,557 (±$135) | +19.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 22.9% (±1.9 points) | 20.0% (±2.2 points) | −2.9 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 16.1% (±4.7 points) | 18.3% (±5.7 points) | +2.2 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Brevard County
Merritt Island has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Brevard County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Brevard County recorded 269 violent and 919 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Merritt Island
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32952 | 100% | 21,613 | $1,494 | $425,700 | $102,726 |
| 32953 | 12% | 24,759 | $1,345 | $419,200 | $87,262 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Merritt Island
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cocoa Beach | 3.3 mi | $1,569 | $503,200 | 21.2% |
| Rockledge | 3.9 mi | $1,820 | $338,100 | 22.0% |
| Viera East | 4.0 mi | $1,681 | $396,700 | 23.8% |
| Tropical Park | 5.3 mi | $1,179 | $307,100 | 76.2% |
| Viera West | 5.9 mi | $2,182 | $546,600 | 18.9% |
| Patrick AFB | 6.7 mi | $2,190 | — | 100.0% |
| Cocoa West | 6.7 mi | $1,162 | $158,700 | 46.3% |
| Cocoa | 7.1 mi | $1,274 | $246,100 | 36.5% |
Places in Florida most like Merritt Island
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf Breeze | $1,536 | $505,600 | $104,050 | 21.8% |
| Edgewood | $1,487 | $501,800 | $81,481 | 23.1% |
| Conway | $1,682 | $405,800 | $87,405 | 13.6% |
| Whiskey Creek | $1,814 | $379,600 | $104,476 | 10.3% |
| Belle Isle | $1,452 | $526,600 | $104,559 | 9.1% |
| Bardmoor | $1,706 | $334,700 | $89,400 | 10.0% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Florida.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Merritt Island, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,327 | $1,525 | $1,779 | $2,382 | $2,707 |
HUD also publishes a Small Area Fair Market Rent for each ZIP code in the area; the Fair Market Rent page for this place lists its ZIP codes.
HUD income limits for Merritt Island, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $20,950 | $34,900 | $55,800 |
| 2 people | $23,950 | $39,850 | $63,800 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $44,850 | $71,750 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $49,800 | $79,700 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $53,800 | $86,100 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $57,800 | $92,500 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $61,800 | $98,850 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $65,750 | $105,250 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $97,000.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Merritt Island is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Merritt Island
What is the average rent in Merritt Island, FL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Merritt Island is $1,441 (±$77) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Merritt Island?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Merritt Island, FL is $1,047 (±$93) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Merritt Island rent-burdened?
53.3% of renting households in Merritt Island pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Merritt Island?
Merritt Island has an estimated 2,839 (±321) renting households, 20.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Merritt Island?
The median household income in Merritt Island is $94,012 (±$8,215) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Merritt Island, FL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $402,900 (±$16,436) for owner-occupied homes in Merritt Island (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Merritt Island growing?
In Merritt Island, the number of residents went from 36,532 in 2015–2019 to 34,992 in 2020–2024 (−4.2%), not a measurable change.
What ZIP codes are in Merritt Island?
The ZIP codes that cover Merritt Island are 32952, 32953.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 32952?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 32952 is $1,494 (±$176) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Merritt Island CDP, Florida
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Merritt Island CDP, Florida
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Merritt Island CDP, Florida
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Merritt Island CDP, Florida
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Merritt Island CDP, Florida
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Merritt Island CDP, Florida
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Merritt Island CDP, Florida
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Merritt Island CDP, Florida (place:44275, in state:12).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .