What stands out worked out from the figures below

Crystal has the most kids (16.2% under 18).

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	Crystal	Patten
People
Population	247Lowest	1,154Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-13.4% ME: +2.6%
Median age	63.2±8.4Highest 41% above ME	57.8±3.5Lowest 29% above ME
	Crystal and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±11.8Highest ME: 18.1%	11.3%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Crystal and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	49%±5.3Highest ME: 22.4%	38.5%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%	25.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±6.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	1.1%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Patten and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$48,125±$13kLowest 36% below ME	$51,484±$6kHighest 31% below ME
	Patten and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$129,200±$60kHighest 56% below ME	$127,600±$49kLowest 57% below ME
	Crystal and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,563±$922Highest 37% above ME	$389±$99Lowest 66% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$943Lowest 69% below ME	$1,199Highest 61% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	14.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	56%±64.1Highest ME: 48.4%
	Patten and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	23.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 3 yrs older than ME	1966Lowest 11 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 10% above ME	28 minHighest 13% above ME
Work from home	0%±15.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	28.7%±19.4Highest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.