What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the most expensive homes ($274k median).

Patten has the most people working from home (24.3%).

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	Cornish	Patten
People
Population	1,803Highest	607Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.5% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	39±8.5Lowest 13% below ME	56.1±5.8Highest 25% above ME
Kids under 18	18.2%±3.3Highest ME: 18.1%	16.5%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Cornish and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	32.9%±5.6Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21%Lowest ME: 36.2%	30.6%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.4Highest ME: 5.8%	1.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Cornish and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,038±$4kHighest 8% below ME	$45,750±$19kLowest 39% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,200±$84kHighest 8% below ME	$83,000±$51kLowest 72% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,196±$148Highest 5% above ME	$389±$99Lowest 66% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,309Highest 24% below ME	$857Lowest 72% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4%	56%±58.6Highest ME: 48.4%
	Patten and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	28.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.1%Highest ME: 74.3%	72.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 1 yr older than ME	1955Lowest 22 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 27% above ME	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	8.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	24.3%±24.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Cornish 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.