What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athens has the most affordable homes ($240k median).

Madbury has the highest household income ($148k).

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	Athens	Madbury
People
Population	431Lowest	2,203Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.3±6.5Highest 22% above U.S.	37.7±2.1Lowest 3% below U.S.
Kids under 18	13.9%±6.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	29%±5.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	21.6%±4.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.3%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Athens and Madbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,438±$30kLowest 15% below U.S.	$148,365±$30kHighest 84% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,400±$32kLowest 28% below U.S.	$476,900±$31kHighest 43% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$537Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,574±$759Highest 11% above U.S.
	Madbury and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,438Lowest 74% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±39Highest U.S.: 51.1%	16.7%±15.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athens and Madbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 36% above U.S.	25 minLowest 4% below U.S.
Work from home	19.3%±7.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Athens and Madbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Oyster River Coop School District
High school 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.