What stands out worked out from the figures below

Patten has the most kids (16.5% under 18).

Patten has the most expensive homes ($128k 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	Patten	Patten
People
Population	607Lowest	1,154Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-13.4% ME: +2.6%
Median age	56.1±5.8Lowest 25% above ME	57.8±3.5Highest 29% above ME
	Patten and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.5%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%	11.3%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Patten and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	32.9%±5.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	38.5%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Patten and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.6%Highest ME: 36.2%	25.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.6%±2.7Highest ME: 5.8%	1.1%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Patten and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$45,750±$19kLowest 39% below ME	$51,484±$6kHighest 31% below ME
	Patten and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$83,000±$51kLowest 72% below ME	$127,600±$49kHighest 57% below ME
	Patten and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$389±$99 66% below ME	$389±$99 66% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$857Lowest 72% below ME	$1,199Highest 61% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56%±58.6 ME: 48.4%	56%±64.1 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	28.4%Highest ME: 10.7%	23.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	82.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 22 yrs older than ME	1966Highest 11 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	28 minHighest 13% above ME
Work from home	24.3%±24.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	28.7%±19.4Highest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.