What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bristol has the highest household income ($86k).

Sandgate has the most people working from home (34.6%).

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	Bristol	Sandgate
People
Population	2,081Highest	435Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.3% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	53.6±5.8Lowest 38% above U.S.	55.7±5.4Highest 43% above U.S.
	Sandgate and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.8%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	13.1%±7.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bristol and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.7%±6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26%±11.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sandgate and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bristol and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,000±$25kHighest 7% above U.S.	$69,167±$19kLowest 14% below U.S.
	Bristol and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$228,600±$52kHighest 31% below U.S.	$193,800±$31kLowest 42% below U.S.
	Bristol and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,208Highest 35% above U.S.	$2,778Lowest 11% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.5%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bristol and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	94.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	27 minHighest 3% above U.S.
Work from home	14.8%±5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	34.6%±32.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sandgate and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.