What stands out worked out from the figures below

Merrill has the most people working from home (13.2%).

Cambridge has the most expensive homes ($215k 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	Merrill	Cambridge
People
Population	372Lowest	532Highest
Median age	33.2±9.9Lowest 26% below ME	38.7±1.1Highest 14% below ME
	Cambridge and Merrill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	41.7%±11Highest ME: 18.1%	19.2%±8.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	14%±5.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	18.6%±8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Cambridge and Merrill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.3%Highest ME: 36.2%	22.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Cambridge and Merrill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,536±$8kHighest 12% below ME	$63,194±$39kLowest 15% below ME
	Merrill and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$131,600±$21kLowest 56% below ME	$214,900±$61kHighest 28% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,449Lowest 52% below ME	$1,574Highest 48% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Merrill and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%	14.1%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	93.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME	1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 19% above ME	41 minHighest 65% above ME
Work from home	13.2%±6.6Highest ME: 15.9%	1.7%±1.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
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.