What stands out worked out from the figures below

Patten has the most kids (11.3% under 18).

Stoneham has the most expensive homes ($226k 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	Stoneham
People
Population	1,154Highest	271Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-13.4% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	57.8±3.5Lowest 29% above ME	60.6±7.1Highest 35% above ME
	Stoneham and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.3%±2.9Highest ME: 18.1%	5.9%±7.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Patten and Stoneham 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%	41%±17.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Stoneham 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%	37.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	14.8%±13.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Stoneham 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	$63,750±$27kHighest 15% below ME
	Stoneham 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	$226,200±$32kHighest 24% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$389±$99Lowest 66% below ME	$1,125±$383Highest about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,199Lowest 61% below ME	$1,426Highest 53% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56%±64.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	66.7%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Stoneham 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%	7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 11 yrs older than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 13% above ME	29 minHighest 18% above ME
Work from home	28.7%±19.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	40.7%±15.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Stoneham and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.