What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hampstead has the most people working from home (21%).

Merrimac has the highest household income ($123k).

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	Hampstead	Merrimac
People
Population	9,102Highest	6,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±6.1Lowest 16% above U.S.	49.4±6.8Highest 27% above U.S.
	Merrimac and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.3%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	16.5%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hampstead and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Merrimac and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	41%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,348±$18kLowest 39% above U.S.	$123,054±$16kHighest 52% above U.S.
	Merrimac and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$521,100±$45kLowest 57% above U.S.	$553,400±$38kHighest 66% above U.S.
	Merrimac and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,299±$149Lowest 8% below U.S.	$1,352±$325Highest 4% below U.S.
	Merrimac and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.	$7,399Lowest 137% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.1%±20.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.3%±29.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Merrimac and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 8 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	21%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.5%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#49 of 120 in NH	#188 of 282 in MA
School district	Hampstead 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.