What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gardiner has the most affordable homes ($222k median).

Sutton has the most expensive homes ($523k 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	Gardiner	Sutton
People
Population	6,088Lowest	9,452Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42±3.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	44.3±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.
	Sutton and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.8%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gardiner and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gardiner and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,782±$10kLowest 11% below U.S.	$147,125±$25kHighest 82% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$221,600±$19kLowest 33% below U.S.	$523,100±$47kHighest 57% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,113±$191Lowest 21% below U.S.	$1,190±$401Highest 16% below U.S.
	Sutton and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,742Lowest 12% below U.S.	$6,763Highest 117% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±13.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	47.5%±24.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sutton and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1944Lowest 36 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	13.9%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#36 of 133 in ME	#105 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 11/MSAD 11	Sutton
High school in town	Gardiner Area High School	Sutton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Lowest	12.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	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.