What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Moose River has the shortest commute (15 min average).

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	Moose River
People
Population	372Highest	248Lowest
Median age	33.2±9.9Highest 26% below ME	32.9±8.2Lowest 27% below ME
	Merrill and Moose River 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%	32.3%±5.2Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Merrill and Moose River 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%	8.5%±10.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Merrill and Moose River 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%	14.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	4%±6.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Moose River 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	$76,324±$9kHighest about the ME average
	Moose River 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	$144,900±$31kHighest 51% below ME
	Moose River and Merrill 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	$928Lowest 69% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Merrill and Moose River 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%	14.9%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	91.3%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME	1951Lowest 26 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 19% above ME	15 minLowest 39% below ME
Work from home	13.2%±6.6Highest ME: 15.9%	4.5%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Merrill and Moose River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
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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.