Merlin is a community in Josephine County, Oregon, home to about 1,617 people across 4.2 square miles. Its ZIP code is 97532, and parts of 97526 are in Merlin too.
Homes sold for a median of $281 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a balanced market.
Mostly Merlin
Mostly Grants Pass; part is in Merlin
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Merlin. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
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| Nearest major airport | Portland International Airport (PDX)216 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport (MFR)29 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Portland, OR212 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Los Angeles, CA646 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Merlin; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Merlin had 1,690 residents in the 2020 census, up 5% since 2010.
It’s the 185th largest of 420 towns in Oregon by population.
Josephine County grew from 7,517 residents in 1900 to 88,090 in 2020.
Josephine County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 77°F in summer, and winter lows average 32°F. About 40.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sexton Summit, OR weather station (7 miles away).
23,608 jobs at 2,110 businesses in Josephine County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
2 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Merlin.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Mental health providers | 1 |
|---|---|
| Optometrists | 1 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (1 nearby)
Museums
Counts are within about 1.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Three Rivers/Josephine County SD. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Oregon Success AcademyMerlin | 6–12 | 213 | Public | 0.2 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Grants Pass.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.