What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alstead has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Mount Desert has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.5%).

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	Alstead	Mount Desert
People
Population	1,551Lowest	1,671Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 44% above U.S.	54.9±8.2Lowest 41% above U.S.
	Alstead and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Mount Desert and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.1%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Mount Desert and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	64.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±4.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Mount Desert and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,526±$11kLowest 20% below U.S.	$92,813±$9kHighest 15% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kLowest 18% below U.S.	$522,100±$66kHighest 57% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,341±$89 5% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Highest 71% above U.S.	$3,512Lowest 13% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	33.9%±31.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Alstead and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.1%±9.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Mount Desert and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Mount Desert Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.