What stands out worked out from the figures below

Carmel has the most affordable homes ($257k median).

Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).

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	Wells
People
Population	2,941Lowest	11,713Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+18%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.4±4.5Lowest 4% above ME	53.6±3.8Highest 20% above ME
	Wells and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1%	18%±3.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Carmel and Wells 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%	31%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%	43.3%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.5%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Wells and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,188±$22kLowest 10% above ME	$88,024±$11kHighest 18% above ME
	Wells and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,800±$37kLowest 13% below ME	$485,300±$23kHighest 64% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,276±$187Lowest 12% above ME	$1,350±$297Highest 19% above ME
	Wells and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,662Lowest 12% below ME	$3,215Highest 6% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±38.1Highest ME: 48.4%	42.1%±19.6Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Carmel and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	90.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME	1989Lowest 12 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%±4.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	17.8%±4.2Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#77 of 133 in ME	#22 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 87/MSAD 23	Wells-Ogunquit CSD
High school in town	None in town	Wells High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.4
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.