What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hersey has the most affordable homes ($163k median).

Hamlin has the most people working from home (32%).

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	Hersey	Hamlin
People
Population	47Lowest	111Highest
Median age	60.5±3.2Lowest 35% above ME	61.8±15.9Highest 38% above ME
	Hamlin and Hersey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	8.5%±58Highest ME: 18.1%	7.2%±17.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Hersey and Hamlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34%±54.5Lowest ME: 22.4%	40.5%±9.7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Hamlin and Hersey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	16.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±33.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.7%±3.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Hamlin and Hersey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$31,250±$26kLowest 58% below ME	$50,938±$7kHighest 32% below ME
	Hamlin and Hersey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$162,500±$113kLowest 45% below ME	$200,000±$58kHighest 33% below ME
	Hamlin and Hersey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,417Highest 20% below ME	$1,339Lowest 56% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Hamlin and Hersey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.3%Highest ME: 10.7%	17.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	75.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	2004Highest 27 yrs newer than ME	1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest about the ME average	15 minLowest 39% below ME
Work from home	5.9%±23.3Lowest ME: 15.9%	32%±47.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Hamlin and Hersey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
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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.