What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k median).

Stoneham has the most people working from home (24.6%).

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	Ellsworth	Stoneham
People
Population	8,657Lowest	23,355Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±2.4Highest 11% above U.S.	42.2±2.2Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Ellsworth and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.8%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stoneham and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ellsworth and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ellsworth and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,375±$18kLowest 4% below U.S.	$113,964±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,300±$22kLowest 27% below U.S.	$671,900±$26kHighest 102% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,017±$195Lowest 28% below U.S.	$2,035±$142Highest 44% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,262Lowest 5% above U.S.	$6,523Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.1%±15.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±8.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ellsworth and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	71%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	7.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#63 of 133 in ME	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	Ellsworth Public Schools	Stoneham
High school in town	Ellsworth High School	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	5 photos →	None yet

U.S. 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.