What stands out worked out from the figures below

Patten has the most people working from home (28.7%).

Beals has the most expensive homes ($257k 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	Beals
People
Population	1,154Highest	498Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-13.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-12.8%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	57.8±3.5Highest 29% above ME	48±15.6Lowest 7% above ME
	Patten and Beals are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.3%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1%	16.1%±6.5Highest ME: 18.1%
	Beals and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	38.5%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4%	30.1%±5.1Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Patten and Beals are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	37.6%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.8%±5.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Beals and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,484±$6kLowest 31% below ME	$64,063±$14kHighest 14% below ME
	Beals and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$127,600±$49kLowest 57% below ME	$256,700±$45kHighest 13% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$389±$99Lowest 66% below ME	$907±$378Highest 20% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,199Lowest 61% below ME	$2,580Highest 15% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56%±64.1Highest ME: 48.4%	7.4%±71.2Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Patten and Beals are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	10.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	83.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 11 yrs older than ME	1974Highest 3 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 13% above ME	21 minLowest 17% below ME
Work from home	28.7%±19.4Highest ME: 15.9%	17.6%±10.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Beals are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Beals Public Schools
High school 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.