What stands out worked out from the figures below

Merrimack has the most affordable homes ($459k median).

Harvard has the most people working from home (44.8%).

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	Merrimack	Harvard
People
Population	28,164Highest	6,927Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.2Lowest 7% above U.S.	44.1±4.7Highest 13% above U.S.
	Harvard and Merrimack are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%	21.1%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Merrimack and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.8%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.3%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Merrimack and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Merrimack and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$127,219±$16kLowest 58% above U.S.	$213,996±$24kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$458,600±$15kLowest 38% above U.S.	$833,600±$54kHighest 151% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,932±$147Highest 37% above U.S.	$1,321±$424Lowest 7% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,345Lowest 135% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.9%±9.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	72.5%±51.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Harvard and Merrimack are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	21%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	44.8%±6.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 120 in NH	#12 of 282 in MA
School district	Merrimack School District	Harvard
High school in town	Merrimack High School	The Bromfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	11.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	12 photos →

U.S. 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.