What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dyer Brook has the most people working from home (8.4%).

Shirley has the most expensive homes ($220k 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	Dyer Brook	Shirley
People
Population	275Highest	234Lowest
Median age	38.7±11.8Lowest 14% below ME	42±8.2Highest 6% below ME
	Shirley and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.4%±11Highest ME: 18.1%	16.2%±9.2Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Dyer Brook and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.4%±8.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.5%±10.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Shirley and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.5%Highest ME: 36.2%	30.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±6.7Highest ME: 5.8%	4.3%±5.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Dyer Brook and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,409±$27kHighest about the ME average	$61,875±$22kLowest 17% below ME
	Dyer Brook and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$135,000±$51kLowest 54% below ME	$219,600±$36kHighest 26% below ME
	Shirley and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,606Lowest 47% below ME	$2,522Highest 17% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	6.9%Lowest ME: 10.7%	17%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%	99%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME	1984Lowest 7 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest about the ME average	21 minLowest 17% below ME
Work from home	8.4%±6.1Highest ME: 15.9%	5.3%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Dyer Brook and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
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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.