What stands out worked out from the figures below

China has the most people working from home (12.6%).

Jefferson has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.1%).

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	China	Jefferson
People
Population	4,526Highest	2,647Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+5.1%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.9±5.9Highest 9% below ME	38.1±4.9Lowest 15% below ME
	China and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±5.1Lowest ME: 18.1%	28%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Jefferson and China are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±4.4Highest ME: 22.4%	18.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	China and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	27.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.6%±2.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Jefferson and China are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,309±$12kHighest 29% above ME	$85,078±$17kLowest 14% above ME
	China and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,000±$37kLowest 19% below ME	$311,600±$35kHighest 5% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,120±$130 about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,535Lowest 17% below ME	$2,587Highest 15% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	10.6%±25.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	29.8%±25.1Highest ME: 48.4%
	Jefferson and China are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6%Highest ME: 10.7%	3.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	83.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 21% above ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	12.6%±4.6Highest ME: 15.9%	8.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 15.9%
	China and Jefferson 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	#27 of 133 in ME	#45 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 18	Jefferson Public Schools
High school in town	None 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.