What stands out worked out from the figures below

Merrill has the most kids (41.7% under 18).

Dyer Brook has the oldest population (median age 38.7).

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	Dyer Brook
People
Population	372Highest	275Lowest
Median age	33.2±9.9Lowest 26% below ME	38.7±11.8Highest 14% below ME
	Dyer Brook 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%	24.4%±11Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Merrill and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4%	12.4%±8.8Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Merrill and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%	34.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	6.5%±6.7Highest ME: 5.8%
	Dyer Brook 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	$73,409±$27kHighest about the ME average
	Dyer Brook and Merrill 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	$135,000±$51kHighest 54% below ME
	Dyer Brook and Merrill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,449Lowest 52% below ME	$1,606Highest 47% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	50%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Merrill and Dyer Brook 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%	6.9%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	1985Lowest 8 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 19% above ME	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	13.2%±6.6Highest ME: 15.9%	8.4%±6.1Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Merrill and Dyer Brook 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.