What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Hampton has the most people working from home (25.9%).

Merrimac has the most affordable homes ($553k 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	North Hampton	Merrimac
People
Population	4,543Lowest	6,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.5±3.3Highest 30% above U.S.	49.4±6.8Lowest 27% above U.S.
	North Hampton and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±5.4Highest U.S.: 22%	16.5%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	North Hampton and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Merrimac and North Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	41%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	North Hampton and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$146,458±$29kHighest 81% above U.S.	$123,054±$16kLowest 52% above U.S.
	North Hampton and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$670,400±$61kHighest 102% above U.S.	$553,400±$38kLowest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,805±$106Highest 28% above U.S.	$1,352±$325Lowest 4% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,529Highest 173% above U.S.	$7,399Lowest 137% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.5%±21Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.3%±29.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Merrimac and North Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.
Work from home	25.9%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.5%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#12 of 120 in NH	#188 of 282 in MA
School district	North Hampton School District	Pentucket
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

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.