What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amherst has the most affordable homes ($210k median).

Roque Bluffs has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Amherst	Roque Bluffs
People
Population	424Highest	369Lowest
Median age	50.9±9.9Lowest 14% above ME	51.1±13.4Highest 14% above ME
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.3%±8.6Lowest ME: 18.1%	24.1%±9.5Highest ME: 18.1%
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.3%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.3%±9.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%	39.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2.5Highest ME: 5.8%	1.9%±2Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Amherst and Roque Bluffs are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,656±$12kLowest about the ME average	$89,375±$34kHighest 20% above ME
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,200±$38kLowest 29% below ME	$290,300±$59kHighest about the ME average
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$950±$515 17% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,527Lowest 50% below ME	$1,859Highest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	80%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%	11.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	96.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 11% above ME	17 minLowest 32% below ME
Work from home	11%±5.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	13.9%±8.6Highest ME: 15.9%
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.