What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hartford has the shortest commute (18 min average).

North Berwick has the most expensive homes ($429k 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	Hartford	North Berwick
People
Population	10,736Highest	5,129Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.9Highest 11% above U.S.	41.6±4.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Hartford and North Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.2%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	North Berwick and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.5%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.9%±5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hartford and North Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	29%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hartford and North Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,125±$7kLowest 3% below U.S.	$101,875±$16kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$304,500±$26kLowest 8% below U.S.	$428,500±$33kHighest 29% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,218±$118Highest 14% below U.S.	$1,105±$116Lowest 22% below U.S.
	Hartford and North Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,773Highest 85% above U.S.	$3,735Lowest 20% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±12.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.2%±28.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	North Berwick and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 30% below U.S.	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.
Work from home	13.9%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	North Berwick and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#34 of 70 in VT	#82 of 133 in ME
School district	Hartford School District	RSU 60/MSAD 60
High school in town	Hartford High School	Noble High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.6Lowest	12.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.