What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wellington has the most homeowners (97.8%).

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	Wellington
People
Population	1,154Highest	161Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-13.4% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	57.8±3.5Lowest 29% above ME	63.6±8.6Highest 42% above ME
	Wellington 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%	8.1%±16.1Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Patten and Wellington 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%	39.8%±11.7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Wellington 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%Highest ME: 36.2%	24.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	1.2%±7.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Wellington 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	$44,519±$4kLowest 40% below ME
	Patten and Wellington 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	$133,700±$30kHighest 55% below ME
	Wellington 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	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,199Highest 61% below ME	$933Lowest 69% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56%±64.1 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	23.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	17.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	97.8%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 minLowest 13% above ME	38 minHighest 54% above ME
Work from home	28.7%±19.4Highest ME: 15.9%	28%±10.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Wellington 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.