What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wesley has the most affordable homes ($69k median).

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	Wesley
People
Population	372Highest	320Lowest
Median age	33.2±9.9Lowest 26% below ME	37.3±3.1Highest 17% below ME
	Wesley 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%	15.6%±6.2Lowest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	14%±5.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	16.6%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Wesley 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%Highest ME: 36.2%	22.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.2%±4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Wesley 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±$8kHighest 12% below ME	$63,125±$34kLowest 16% below ME
	Merrill and Wesley 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	$68,800±$21kLowest 77% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,449Highest 52% below ME	$558Lowest 82% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	27.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Merrill and Wesley 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%	34.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	91.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Lowest 10 yrs newer than ME	1993Highest 16 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 19% above ME	48 minHighest 96% above ME
Work from home	13.2%±6.6Highest ME: 15.9%	1.9%±3Lowest 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.