What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

New Portland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).

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	Freedom	New Portland
People
Population	670Lowest	686Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.1%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+6.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.1±2.7Lowest 10% below ME	41.4±5.4Highest 8% below ME
	New Portland and Freedom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.2%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.2%±5.3Highest ME: 18.1%
	New Portland and Freedom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±2.9Highest ME: 22.4%	17.6%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Freedom and New Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%	27.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±3.4Highest ME: 5.8%
	New Portland and Freedom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,861±$12kLowest 13% below ME	$74,375±$21kHighest about the ME average
	New Portland and Freedom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$190,600±$69kHighest 36% below ME	$176,000±$35kLowest 41% below ME
	Freedom and New Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$337±$332 70% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,328Highest 23% below ME	$1,923Lowest 37% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.1%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	94.7%±88.2Highest ME: 48.4%
	New Portland and Freedom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	14.5%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME	1973Lowest 4 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 29% above ME	32 minLowest 28% above ME
Work from home	8.4%±3.9Highest ME: 15.9%	7.2%±6Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Freedom and New Portland 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.