What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Masardis has the oldest population (median age 35.9).

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	Masardis
People
Population	372Highest	258Lowest
Median age	33.2±9.9Lowest 26% below ME	35.9±13.2Highest 20% below ME
	Masardis 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%	9.3%±4.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	14%±5.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	14.3%±3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Masardis 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%Lowest ME: 36.2%	22.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	0.4%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Masardis 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	$67,650±$26kHighest 9% below ME
	Masardis 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±$21kHighest 56% below ME	$126,400±$51kLowest 57% below ME
	Merrill and Masardis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,449Highest 52% below ME	$914Lowest 70% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	66.7%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Masardis and Merrill 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%	11.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	97.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 19% above ME	36 minHighest 45% above ME
Work from home	13.2%±6.6Highest ME: 15.9%	0%±6.4Lowest 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.