What stands out worked out from the figures below

Harvard has the most people working from home (44.8%).

Merrimack has the most affordable homes ($459k 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	Harvard	Merrimack
People
Population	6,927Lowest	28,164Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.1±4.7Highest 13% above U.S.	41.5±2.2Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Harvard and Merrimack are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Merrimack and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.3%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.8%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Merrimack and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	50.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Merrimack and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$213,996±$24kHighest 165% above U.S.	$127,219±$16kLowest 58% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$833,600±$54kHighest 151% above U.S.	$458,600±$15kLowest 38% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,321±$424Lowest 7% below U.S.	$1,932±$147Highest 37% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$7,345Lowest 135% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.5%±51.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.9%±9.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Harvard and Merrimack are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	88.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	44.8%±6.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	21%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#12 of 282 in MA	#58 of 120 in NH
School district	Harvard	Merrimack School District
High school in town	The Bromfield High School	Merrimack High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Lowest	12.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	12 photos →	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.