What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hope has the most people working from home (18.3%).

Steep Falls has the most affordable homes ($243k 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	Steep Falls
People
Population	1,748Lowest	1,861Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%	+7.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.6±3.1Highest about the ME average	44.1±6.5Lowest about the ME average
	Hope and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%	22.9%±9.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Hope and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±1.3Highest ME: 22.4%	9.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	14.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.5%±3.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Steep Falls and Hope 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	$80,280±$33kLowest 7% above ME
	Hope and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME	$243,400±$31kLowest 18% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,219±$182Lowest 7% above ME	$1,516±$1kHighest 33% above ME
	Steep Falls and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,842Highest 27% above ME	$3,273Lowest 8% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±38.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	66.4%±36.1Highest ME: 48.4%
	Steep Falls 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%	7.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	80.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME	1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 19% below ME	31 minHighest 25% above ME
Work from home	18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%	4%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Hope and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Hope Public Schools	—
High school 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.