What stands out worked out from the figures below

Castle Hill has the shortest commute (19 min average).

Patten has the most people working from home (28.7%).

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	Castle Hill	Patten
People
Population	281Lowest	1,154Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-13.4% ME: +2.6%
Median age	57.8±15.8 29% above ME	57.8±3.5 29% above ME
Kids under 18	14.2%±5.8Highest ME: 18.1%	11.3%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	44.8%±6.5Highest ME: 22.4%	38.5%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	25.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±5.3Highest ME: 5.8%	1.1%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,250±$14kHighest 27% below ME	$51,484±$6kLowest 31% below ME
	Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$145,300±$18kHighest 51% below ME	$127,600±$49kLowest 57% below ME
	Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$950±$574Highest 17% below ME	$389±$99Lowest 66% below ME
	Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,449Highest 52% below ME	$1,199Lowest 61% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	75%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	56%±64.1Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	23.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.3%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1966Lowest 11 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 24% below ME	28 minHighest 13% above ME
Work from home	10.3%±9.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	28.7%±19.4Highest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Castle Hill 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

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.