What stands out worked out from the figures below

Carmel has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.6%).

Etna has the most affordable homes ($183k median).

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	Carmel	Etna
People
Population	2,941Highest	1,252Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Highest ME: +2.6%	-1.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.4±4.5Highest 4% above ME	41.9±3.4Lowest 6% below ME
	Carmel and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	20%±6.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Etna and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±5Lowest ME: 22.4%	18.5%±1.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Etna and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.2%Highest ME: 36.2%	13.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.3Highest ME: 5.8%	0.6%±0.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Carmel and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,188±$22kHighest 10% above ME	$72,379±$16kLowest 3% below ME
	Carmel and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,800±$37kHighest 13% below ME	$183,000±$49kLowest 38% below ME
	Carmel and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,276±$187 12% above ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,662Highest 12% below ME	$1,745Lowest 43% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±38.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	66.7%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Etna and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%	15.5%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME	1993Lowest 16 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	28 minHighest 12% above ME
Work from home	6.5%±4.4Highest ME: 15.9%	5.6%±3.3Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Carmel and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#77 of 133 in ME	—
School district	RSU 87/MSAD 23	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.