What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethel has the most people working from home (27.7%).

Rumford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.3%).

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	Bethel	Rumford
People
Population	2,617Lowest	5,942Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+0.3%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	50.2±6.4Lowest 12% above ME	50.4±3.4Highest 13% above ME
	Rumford and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.9%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	18.1%±4.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Rumford and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.3%±6.5Highest ME: 22.4%	27.2%±4.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Bethel and Rumford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.3%Highest ME: 36.2%	18.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Rumford and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,929±$23kHighest 21% below ME	$38,403±$6kLowest 49% below ME
	Bethel and Rumford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$344,900±$37kHighest 16% above ME	$127,700±$21kLowest 57% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$864±$43Highest 24% below ME	$803±$81Lowest 29% below ME
	Bethel and Rumford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,835Highest 7% below ME	$1,988Lowest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.3%±15.4Lowest ME: 48.4%	59.1%±11.9Highest ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	13.9%Lowest ME: 10.7%	22.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	63.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME	1947Lowest 30 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 5% above ME	21 minLowest 14% below ME
Work from home	27.7%±8.1Highest ME: 15.9%	6.6%±5.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#49 of 133 in ME	#126 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 44/MSAD 44	RSU 10
High school in town	Telstar High School	Mountain Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Lowest	11.4Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.