What stands out worked out from the figures below

Beals has the most affordable homes ($257k median).

Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

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	Beals	Hope
People
Population	498Lowest	1,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	48±15.6Highest 7% above ME	44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average
	Beals and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.1%±6.5Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Hope and Beals are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.1%±5.1Highest ME: 22.4%	21.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%	47.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±5.5Highest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Beals and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,063±$14kLowest 14% below ME	$86,766±$6kHighest 16% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,700±$45kLowest 13% below ME	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$907±$378Lowest 20% below ME	$1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME
	Hope and Beals are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,580Lowest 15% below ME	$3,842Highest 27% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.4%±71.2Lowest ME: 48.4%	37.8%±38.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Hope and Beals are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 17% below ME	20 minLowest 19% below ME
Work from home	17.6%±10.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Hope and Beals are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Beals Public Schools	Hope Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.