What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the most affordable homes ($131k median).

Standish has the most people working from home (13.6%).

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	Berlin	Standish
People
Population	9,383Lowest	10,662Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±2.8Highest 15% above U.S.	40.5±2.8Lowest 4% above U.S.
	Berlin and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%	16.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Berlin and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Berlin and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$45,180±$5kLowest 44% below U.S.	$104,593±$15kHighest 30% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$131,000±$15kLowest 61% below U.S.	$336,000±$18kHighest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$815±$141Lowest 42% below U.S.	$983±$453Highest 30% below U.S.
	Standish and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,437Highest 10% above U.S.	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±12Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.4%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Standish and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 29% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	3.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.6%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#108 of 120 in NH	#18 of 133 in ME
School district	Berlin School District	RSU 06/MSAD 06
High school in town	Berlin Senior High School	Bonny Eagle High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.2Lowest	12.5Highest
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.