What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newport has the most expensive homes ($235k median).

Sumner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.9%).

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	Newport	Sumner
People
Population	3,143Highest	845Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.3%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	50.3±3.2Lowest 12% above ME	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME
	Sumner and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.7%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1%	17.2%±6.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Sumner and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.8%±6.4Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.7%±5.2Highest ME: 22.4%
	Sumner and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8%	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Newport and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,365±$13kHighest 19% below ME	$57,750±$19kLowest 23% below ME
	Newport and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$234,800±$30kHighest 21% below ME	$150,000±$73kLowest 49% below ME
	Newport and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$893±$104 22% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,018Highest about the ME average	$2,167Lowest 29% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.3%±16.2Lowest ME: 48.4%	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%	91.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1977Highest same as ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	42 minHighest 72% above ME
Work from home	14.7%±7.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Sumner and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#97 of 133 in ME	—
School district	RSU 19	RSU 10
High school in town	Nokomis Regional High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	13.3	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.