What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Castle Hill has the shortest commute (19 min average).

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	Castle Hill
People
Population	1,154Highest	281Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-13.4% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	57.8±3.5 29% above ME	57.8±15.8 29% above ME
Kids under 18	11.3%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1%	14.2%±5.8Highest ME: 18.1%
	Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	38.5%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	44.8%±6.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Castle Hill and Patten 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%	26.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±5.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Castle Hill 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	$54,250±$14kHighest 27% below ME
	Castle Hill 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	$145,300±$18kHighest 51% below ME
	Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$389±$99Lowest 66% below ME	$950±$574Highest 17% below ME
	Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,199Lowest 61% below ME	$1,449Highest 52% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56%±64.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	75%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Castle Hill and Patten 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%	4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.3%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 11 yrs older than ME	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 13% above ME	19 minLowest 24% below ME
Work from home	28.7%±19.4Highest ME: 15.9%	10.3%±9.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
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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.