What stands out worked out from the figures below

South Hampton has the most people working from home (17%).

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	South Hampton	Merrimac
People
Population	984Lowest	6,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.1±5.3Lowest 16% above U.S.	49.4±6.8Highest 27% above U.S.
	Merrimac and South Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.3%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22%	16.5%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	South Hampton and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	41%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	South 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	$152,500±$44kHighest 89% above U.S.	$123,054±$16kLowest 52% above U.S.
	South Hampton and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$661,100±$45kHighest 99% above U.S.	$553,400±$38kLowest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,889±$489Highest 34% above U.S.	$1,352±$325Lowest 4% below U.S.
	South Hampton and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,109Highest 192% above U.S.	$7,399Lowest 137% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30%±40.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.3%±29.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Merrimac and South Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 7% above U.S.	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.
Work from home	17%±3.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.5%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#188 of 282 in MA
School district	South 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.