Bamisparimעברית

Village · Shafir Regional Council · Southern District · founded 1948

Merkaz Shapira by the numbers

A car-dependent town

Merkaz Shapira has 3,389 residents (CBS estimate, September 2026). Compared with the 188 other towns of a similar size, it has fewer car-free households than 91% of them and more graduates than 73% of them.

Population
3,389
44% children under 18
Average rent
₪8,375
a month
Average monthly salary
₪17,056
13% higher than the national average
Schools
4
9 kindergartens

How does Merkaz Shapira compare with other towns?

Merkaz Shapira Another of the 189 towns with 2,000 to 20,000 residents

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How much is rent?

₪8,375Higher rent than 91% of towns
Average monthly rent, 2026
LowHigh

Can you live without a car?

5%Fewer car-free households than 91% of towns
Households without a car, 2022
LowHigh

How educated?

39%More graduates than 73% of towns
Residents with an academic degree, 2022
LowHigh

How much do people earn?

₪17,056Higher wages than 72% of towns
Average monthly wage per employee, 2025
LowHigh
3 more comparisons

Young or old?

9%Like most (slightly above)
Residents aged 65+, 2026
LowHigh

Do people rent or own?

18%Like most (slightly below)
Households renting, 2022
LowHigh

Big families?

3.6Like most (slightly above)
People per household, average, 2022
LowHigh

Sources: wages: National Insurance 2025; housing: Tax Authority (Nadlan) 2026; age: National Insurance 2026; education, renting, cars and household size: the 2022 census, the only source at town level. Compared with the 189 towns with 2,000 to 20,000 residents.

How much does it cost to live in Merkaz Shapira?

rent ₪8,375 a month

Tax Authority sales data · to June 2026

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Average rent
₪8,375a month
no change 67% above the national average
49%of the average salary
goes on average rent

Average rent by quarterMerkaz ShapiraIsrael

₪8,375Q2 22Q2 23Q2 24Q2 25Q2 26

Source: Israel Tax Authority, Nadlan.gov.il. Averages of reported sales; with too few sales no average is shown.

Housing and construction

Building plans and urban renewal in Merkaz Shapira

197 housing units in approved plans · 1 open land tenders

All the data →

What is the average salary in Merkaz Shapira?

₪17,056 a month for the average employee, 13% higher than the national average; socio-economic cluster 6 of 10

Wages 2025

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₪17,056average monthly salary

13% above the national average.

Merkaz Shapira
₪17,056
Israel
₪15,140
24%earn up to minimum wageIsrael: 26.6%
2.2%earn 4x the average or moreIsrael: 2.6%
₪12,596self-employed monthly incomeIsrael: ₪11,928
Socio-economic cluster
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1 · lowesthighest · 10

Ranked 309 of 996 communities in regional councils (1 is the lowest).

Wages: National Insurance Institute, 2025. Cluster: CBS socio-economic index 2021, the latest (published in 2024).

Schools and kindergartens in Merkaz Shapira

4 schools, 9 kindergartens and 1 daycare centre

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4Schools
9Kindergartens
1Daycare centres

Schools by stream: State-religious 4.

Schools4 schoolsThe full list, by stage and streamKindergartens9 kindergartensPublic and recognised, searchable by name

Source: Ministry of Education, list of active institutions

Who lives in Merkaz Shapira?

44% are under 18 (more than the national share); the largest health fund is Clalit

As of October 2026

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Age groups

Merkaz Shapira
44%
47%
Israel
32%
55%
13%

Under 18Working age (18–65)65+

Health funds (kupot holim)

Merkaz Shapira
61%
23%
10%
Israel
50%
28%
14%

ClalitMaccabiMeuhedetLeumit

20.8%self-employed among the insuredIsrael: 16.9%
0.6%get unemployment benefitIsrael: 1%
1.7%get disability benefitIsrael: 3.8%
1.4%get long-term care benefitIsrael: 4.1%

Source: National Insurance Institute, statistics by town (ages as of October 2026). Benefit rates are shares of all residents.

How does Merkaz Shapira vote?

Largest list: Religious Zionism-Zehut (42%). Turnout 86%

Election for the 26th Knesset

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In the 2026 election, Merkaz Shapira voted Religious Zionism-Zehut more than the country as a whole (‎+36 points) and Yashar less (‎-13).

Turnout
Here, 202686%
Israel, 202678%
Here, 202281%

In 2022 the largest list here was Religious Zionism (56%).

Religious Zionism-Zehut
41.5%
Likud
20.9%
Otzma Yehudit
14.8%
Shas
6.6%
Amcha Yisrael
5.4%
Yashar
3.6%

Merkaz Shapira All Israel

Source: Central Elections Committee, 26th Knesset election (2026), via the Kaplan Open Source mirror (official results by locality). Compared with the 25th Knesset (2022)

How much is arnona (property tax) in Merkaz Shapira?

About ₪294 a month for a 90 m² apartment, less than most local authorities

Audited accounts 2024

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A 90 m² apartment in Shafir Regional Council pays about ₪294 a month in arnona on average (₪3,528 a year).

Residential arnona, average per m² a year₪39.2
Median authority: ₪41.5
Spending per resident a year₪14,897
Median authority: ₪8,818
Arnona collected of the amount billed99.6%
Median authority: 90%
Own revenue as a share of all revenue56.7%
Median authority: 45.9%

Of every shekel the authority spends, 44 agorot go to education and 8 agorot to welfare. The authority ended 2024 with a deficit of ₪12,220 thousand.

Source: Ministry of the Interior, audited financial reports of local authorities for 2024, Shafir Regional Council. Actual arnona depends on the zone and type of property.

Towns like Merkaz Shapira, and nearby

Most similar: Bat Hefer, Tel Mond, Tzur Hadassah

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Similar in wages, education, age, renting, car ownership, household size and population mix.

Bat Hefer5,167 residents · wage ₪19,308Tel Mond15,542 residents · wage ₪24,713Tzur Hadassah10,337 residents · wage ₪19,715Mazkeret Batya16,533 residents · wage ₪21,226

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Merkaz Shapira: common questions

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What is the population of Merkaz Shapira?

Merkaz Shapira has 3,389 residents, according to the CBS estimate for September 2026.

How many schools are there in Merkaz Shapira?

Merkaz Shapira has 4 schools, 9 kindergartens and 1 daycare centres, according to the Ministry of Education.

How much is rent in Merkaz Shapira?

Average rent in Merkaz Shapira: ₪8,375 a month, against ₪5,006 nationwide.

What is the average salary in Merkaz Shapira?

The average monthly wage per employee in Merkaz Shapira is ₪17,056, against ₪15,140 nationwide (National Insurance, 2025).

Which district is Merkaz Shapira in?

Merkaz Shapira is in the Southern District, in the Shafir Regional Council, Ashkelon subdistrict.

Data sources

CBS locality code: 1098