What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dyer Brook has the oldest population (median age 38.7).

Merrill has the most kids (41.7% under 18).

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	Dyer Brook	Merrill
People
Population	275Lowest	372Highest
Median age	38.7±11.8Highest 14% below ME	33.2±9.9Lowest 26% below ME
	Dyer Brook and Merrill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.4%±11Lowest ME: 18.1%	41.7%±11Highest ME: 18.1%
	Merrill and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.4%±8.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	14%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Merrill and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.5%Highest ME: 36.2%	22.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±6.7Highest ME: 5.8%	0.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Dyer Brook and Merrill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,409±$27kHighest about the ME average	$65,536±$8kLowest 12% below ME
	Dyer Brook and Merrill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$135,000±$51kHighest 54% below ME	$131,600±$21kLowest 56% below ME
	Dyer Brook and Merrill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,606Highest 47% below ME	$1,449Lowest 52% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	60%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Merrill and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.9%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.1%Highest ME: 74.3%	91.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 8 yrs newer than ME	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	29 minHighest 19% above ME
Work from home	8.4%±6.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	13.2%±6.6Highest ME: 15.9%
	Merrill and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.