What stands out worked out from the figures below

Castle Hill has the most people working from home (10.3%).

Steep Falls has the most expensive homes ($243k 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	Castle Hill	Steep Falls
People
Population	281Lowest	1,861Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+7.4% ME: +2.6%
Median age	57.8±15.8Highest 29% above ME	44.1±6.5Lowest about the ME average
	Castle Hill and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.2%±5.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	22.9%±9.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Steep Falls and Castle Hill 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%	9.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	14.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±5.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.5%±3.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Steep Falls and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,250±$14kLowest 27% below ME	$80,280±$33kHighest 7% above ME
	Steep Falls and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$145,300±$18kLowest 51% below ME	$243,400±$31kHighest 18% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$950±$574Lowest 17% below ME	$1,516±$1kHighest 33% above ME
	Steep Falls and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,449Lowest 52% below ME	$3,273Highest 8% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	75%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	66.4%±36.1Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Castle Hill and Steep Falls 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%	7.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.3%Highest ME: 74.3%	80.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 24% below ME	31 minHighest 25% above ME
Work from home	10.3%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%	4%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Castle Hill and Steep Falls 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.