What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mount Chase has the most kids (22.1% under 18).

Stoneham has the most expensive homes ($226k 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	Mount Chase	Stoneham
People
Population	280Highest	271Lowest
Median age	49.9±10.9Lowest 11% above ME	60.6±7.1Highest 35% above ME
	Stoneham and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.1%±10.6Highest ME: 18.1%	5.9%±7.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Mount Chase and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.9%±6.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	41%±17.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Stoneham and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	37.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±5.7Lowest ME: 5.8%	14.8%±13.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Stoneham and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$41,711±$7kLowest 44% below ME	$63,750±$27kHighest 15% below ME
	Stoneham and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$115,700±$15kLowest 61% below ME	$226,200±$32kHighest 24% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,281±$1kHighest 12% above ME	$1,125±$383Lowest about the ME average
	Mount Chase and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,548Highest 49% below ME	$1,426Lowest 53% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	28.6%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	66.7%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Stoneham and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	30.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90%Highest ME: 74.3%	89.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME	1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 9% above ME	29 minHighest 18% above ME
Work from home	22.2%±12.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	40.7%±15.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Stoneham and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.