What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stow has the most expensive homes ($326k 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	Stow
People
Population	1,154Highest	535Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-13.4% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	57.8±3.5Highest 29% above ME	57±10.5Lowest 27% above ME
	Patten and Stow 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%	15.7%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Stow 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%	37.9%±17.8Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Patten and Stow 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%	33.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	3%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Stow 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±$6kHighest 31% below ME	$42,204±$22kLowest 44% below ME
	Patten and Stow 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	$326,400±$42kHighest 10% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$389±$99 66% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,199Lowest 61% below ME	$3,304Highest 9% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56%±64.1Highest ME: 48.4%	20%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Patten and Stow 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%	8.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	96.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 11 yrs older than ME	1998Highest 21 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 13% above ME	51 minHighest 109% above ME
Work from home	28.7%±19.4Highest ME: 15.9%	17.7%±12Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Stow 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.