What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barrington has the most people working from home (18.7%).

Merrimac has the most expensive homes ($553k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Barrington	Merrimac
People
Population	9,489Highest	6,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±2.3Lowest about the U.S. average	49.4±6.8Highest 27% above U.S.
Kids under 18	23.7%±4Highest U.S.: 22%	16.5%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Barrington and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.6%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	41%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barrington and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,323±$14kLowest 37% above U.S.	$123,054±$16kHighest 52% above U.S.
	Merrimac and Barrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$399,100±$30kLowest 20% above U.S.	$553,400±$38kHighest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,867±$194Highest 32% above U.S.	$1,352±$325Lowest 4% below U.S.
	Barrington and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,121Lowest 128% above U.S.	$7,399Highest 137% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.1%±25.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	59.3%±29.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Barrington and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 14% above U.S.	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.
Work from home	18.7%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.5%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#65 of 120 in NH	#188 of 282 in MA
School district	Barrington School District	Pentucket
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.