What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Weston has the most people working from home (11.1%).

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	Weston
People
Population	2,941Highest	275Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	46.4±4.5Lowest 4% above ME	55.1±14Highest 23% above ME
	Weston 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%	14.9%±7.2Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Carmel and Weston 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%	21.8%±4.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Weston 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%Lowest ME: 36.2%	23.3%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.3Highest ME: 5.8%	1.5%±4.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Carmel and Weston 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	$58,942±$7kLowest 21% below ME
	Carmel and Weston 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	$171,700±$26kLowest 42% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,276±$187 12% above ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,662Highest 12% below ME	$1,500Lowest 51% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±38.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Weston 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%	19.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	93.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME	1990Lowest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest about the ME average	18 minLowest 28% below ME
Work from home	6.5%±4.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±12.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Weston and Carmel 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 History	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.