What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sebec has the most people working from home (13.2%).

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	Sebec
People
Population	424Lowest	547Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.6% ME: +2.6%
Median age	50.9±9.9Highest 14% above ME	49.3±7.6Lowest 10% above ME
	Amherst and Sebec 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%	21.8%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Sebec and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.3%±2.9Highest ME: 22.4%	20.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Amherst and Sebec 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%	32%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2.5Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.2%±3.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Sebec and Amherst 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	$74,545±$37kHighest about the ME average
	Sebec 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	$233,000±$40kHighest 21% below ME
	Sebec and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,527Lowest 50% below ME	$1,810Highest 40% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Amherst and Sebec are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.1%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	97.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 11% above ME	30 minHighest 22% above ME
Work from home	11%±5.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	13.2%±10.6Highest ME: 15.9%
	Sebec 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.