What stands out worked out from the figures below

Etna has the most affordable homes ($183k median).

Hampden has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.2%).

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	Etna	Hampden
People
Population	1,252Lowest	7,896Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+6.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	41.9±3.4Highest 6% below ME	41±2.9Lowest 8% below ME
	Etna and Hampden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±6.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	25.8%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Hampden and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±1.1Highest ME: 22.4%	17.2%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Etna and Hampden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%	45.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±0.5Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.3%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,379±$16kLowest 3% below ME	$111,959±$13kHighest 50% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$183,000±$49kLowest 38% below ME	$301,300±$38kHighest about the ME average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,286±$317 13% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,745Lowest 43% below ME	$3,694Highest 22% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	22.2%±15.1Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Etna and Hampden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Highest ME: 10.7%	7.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	85.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1993Highest 16 yrs newer than ME	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 12% above ME	23 minLowest 7% below ME
Work from home	5.6%±3.3Lowest ME: 15.9%	21.3%±5.5Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#6 of 133 in ME
School district	—	RSU 22
High school in town	—	Hampden Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.8
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.