What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).

Sabattus has the most affordable homes ($180k 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	Durham	Sabattus
People
Population	4,262Lowest	5,116Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.4%Highest ME: +2.6%	+3.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	42.6±5.9Lowest 5% below ME	51.2±4.6Highest 14% above ME
	Sabattus and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.7%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1%	13.8%±4.2Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Durham and Sabattus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.6%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	24.4%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Sabattus and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.8%Highest ME: 36.2%	17.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	6.6%±3.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Sabattus and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$99,181±$5kHighest 33% above ME	$59,387±$6kLowest 21% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$322,200±$34kHighest 9% above ME	$180,000±$39kLowest 39% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$949±$23 17% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,781Highest 25% above ME	$2,151Lowest 29% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25%±40.9Lowest ME: 48.4%	38.7%±51Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sabattus and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%	8.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	95.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Lowest 9 yrs newer than ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 13% above ME	30 minHighest 21% above ME
Work from home	20.9%±5.6Lowest ME: 15.9%	21.5%±10.1Highest ME: 15.9%
	Sabattus and Durham 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	#14 of 133 in ME	#129 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 05	RSU 04
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.