What stands out worked out from the figures below

Biddeford has the most affordable homes ($397k median).

Stoneham has the most people working from home (24.6%).

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	Biddeford	Stoneham
People
Population	22,498Lowest	23,355Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35±2.6Lowest 10% below U.S.	42.2±2.2Highest 8% above U.S.
Kids under 18	15.6%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.8%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stoneham and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,333±$4kLowest 10% below U.S.	$113,964±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$396,600±$25kLowest 19% above U.S.	$671,900±$26kHighest 102% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$100Lowest 9% below U.S.	$2,035±$142Highest 44% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,401Lowest 41% above U.S.	$6,523Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±8.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stoneham and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	71%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1964Highest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	14.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#111 of 133 in ME	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	Biddeford Public Schools	Stoneham
High school in town	Biddeford High School	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.1Highest	10.7Lowest
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.