What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Chapman has the highest household income ($93k).

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	Chapman
People
Population	372Lowest	388Highest
Median age	33.2±9.9Lowest 26% below ME	45.7±11.4Highest about the ME average
	Chapman 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%	27.6%±5.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Merrill and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14%±5.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	27.6%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%	22.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Chapman 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±$8kLowest 12% below ME	$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$131,600±$21kLowest 56% below ME	$185,700±$22kHighest 37% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,449Lowest 52% below ME	$1,850Highest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Merrill and Chapman 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%	6.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 19% above ME	23 minLowest 6% below ME
Work from home	13.2%±6.6Highest ME: 15.9%	4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Merrill and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.