What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lincoln has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Sumner has the most people working from home (18.5%).

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	Lincoln	Sumner
People
Population	4,890Highest	845Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	52.4±3.4Lowest 17% above ME	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME
	Sumner and Lincoln are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.4%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1%	17.2%±6.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Sumner and Lincoln are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	32.1%±7.4Highest ME: 22.4%	29.7%±5.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Lincoln and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.2%Highest ME: 36.2%	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8%	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Lincoln and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,089±$15kLowest 25% below ME	$57,750±$19kHighest 23% below ME
	Sumner and Lincoln are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$141,500±$40kLowest 52% below ME	$150,000±$73kHighest 49% below ME
	Sumner and Lincoln are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$658±$28 42% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,860Lowest 39% below ME	$2,167Highest 29% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.3%±34.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner and Lincoln are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.5%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	91.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME	1977Lowest same as ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the ME average	42 minHighest 72% above ME
Work from home	3.2%±2.7Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#94 of 133 in ME	—
School district	Lincoln-Region 3 · RSU 67	RSU 10
High school in town	Mattanawcook Academy	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8	—
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.