What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Smyrna 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	Smyrna
People
Population	372Lowest	380Highest
Median age	33.2±9.9Highest 26% below ME	31±9.6Lowest 31% below ME
	Merrill and Smyrna 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%	33.2%±5.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Merrill and Smyrna 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%	10.8%±4.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Merrill and Smyrna 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%	17.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.3%±3.1 ME: 5.8%	0.3%±2.9 ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,536±$8kHighest 12% below ME	$57,750±$19kLowest 23% below ME
	Merrill and Smyrna 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	$117,100±$10kLowest 61% below ME
	Merrill and Smyrna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$425±$63 63% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,449Highest 52% below ME	$1,200Lowest 60% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Merrill and Smyrna 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%	15.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	95.4%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME	1977Lowest same as ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 19% above ME	15 minLowest 37% below ME
Work from home	13.2%±6.6Highest ME: 15.9%	6.4%±6.1Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Merrill and Smyrna 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.