What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Whiting has the most affordable homes ($214k 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	Whiting
People
Population	1,748Highest	506Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average	50±5Highest 12% above ME
	Whiting and Hope 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%	17.8%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Hope and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	27.5%±6.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Whiting and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	34.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.8%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Whiting 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	$55,263±$2kLowest 26% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME	$214,200±$52kLowest 28% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME	$600±$333Lowest 47% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,842Highest 27% above ME	$1,728Lowest 43% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±38.7Highest ME: 48.4%	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Hope and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3% ME: 10.7%	5.3% ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 19% below ME	22 minHighest 10% below ME
Work from home	18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	Hope Public Schools	Whiting 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.