What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hope has the most expensive homes ($373k median).

Mercer has the most affordable homes ($239k 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	Hope	Mercer
People
Population	1,748Highest	718Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%	+6.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.6±3.1Highest about the ME average	43.4±4.5Lowest 3% below ME
	Hope and Mercer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%	20.1%±6.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Hope and Mercer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	25.9%±5.6Highest ME: 22.4%
	Mercer and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Highest ME: 5.8%	0.7%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Hope and Mercer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,766±$6kHighest 16% above ME	$71,107±$2kLowest 5% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME	$238,500±$32kLowest 20% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,219±$182Lowest 7% above ME	$1,422±$249Highest 25% above ME
	Mercer and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,842Highest 27% above ME	$1,970Lowest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±38.7Highest ME: 48.4%	18.5%±74Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Hope and Mercer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	13.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	92.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME	1987Lowest 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 19% below ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	18.3%±10.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	20.5%±8.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Mercer and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Hope Public Schools	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.