What stands out worked out from the figures below

Palermo has the most people working from home (18.8%).

Jefferson has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.1%).

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	Palermo	Jefferson
People
Population	1,473Lowest	2,647Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+5.1%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	43.4±6.1Highest 3% below ME	38.1±4.9Lowest 15% below ME
	Palermo and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.1%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	28%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Jefferson and Palermo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±2Highest ME: 22.4%	18.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Palermo and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	27.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.6%±2.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Jefferson and Palermo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,095±$15kHighest 19% above ME	$85,078±$17kLowest 14% above ME
	Palermo and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$259,700±$54kLowest 12% below ME	$311,600±$35kHighest 5% above ME
	Jefferson and Palermo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,235±$1kHighest 8% above ME	$1,120±$130Lowest about the ME average
	Palermo and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,506Lowest 17% below ME	$2,587Highest 15% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.6%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	29.8%±25.1Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Palermo and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	3.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	83.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME	1987Lowest 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 24% above ME	30 minLowest 23% above ME
Work from home	18.8%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%	8.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Palermo and Jefferson 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	—	#45 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 12	Jefferson 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.