What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marion has the most people working from home (20.1%).

Merrimac has the most affordable 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	Marion	Merrimac
People
Population	5,310Lowest	6,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	53.8±4Highest 35% above MA	49.4±6.8Lowest 24% above MA
	Marion and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.7%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%	16.5%±6.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Marion and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%	26.7%±5.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Marion and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	41%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±4.3Highest MA: 7.9%	2.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Marion and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$143,092±$30kHighest 38% above MA	$123,054±$16kLowest 18% above MA
	Marion and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$653,500±$47kHighest 16% above MA	$553,400±$38kLowest about the MA average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,176±$516Lowest 33% below MA	$1,352±$325Highest 23% below MA
	Merrimac and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,766Lowest 4% below MA	$7,399Highest 23% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	75.8%±26.8Highest MA: 51.8%	59.3%±29.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Marion and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Lowest MA: 10%	9.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	81.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 15% above MA	32 minLowest 10% above MA
Work from home	20.1%±8.3Highest MA: 18.6%	8.5%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Marion and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#141 of 282 in MA	#188 of 282 in MA
School district	Marion	Pentucket
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.