What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

Cherryfield has the most affordable homes ($196k 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	Hope	Cherryfield
People
Population	1,748Highest	809Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%	-10.1%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average	58.1±4.2Highest 30% above ME
Kids under 18	23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%	11.6%±5.3Lowest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	21.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	32.4%±9.6Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	21.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Highest ME: 5.8%	1.7%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Hope and Cherryfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,766±$6kHighest 16% above ME	$37,115±$17kLowest 50% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME	$195,800±$53kLowest 34% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME	$428±$107Lowest 62% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,842Highest 27% above ME	$1,950Lowest 36% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±38.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	60.5%±17.8Highest ME: 48.4%
	Cherryfield and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	26.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	66.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME	1977Lowest same as ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 19% below ME	30 minHighest 22% above ME
Work from home	18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%	18.2%±10.4Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Hope and Cherryfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Hope Public Schools	Cherryfield Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.