What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pembroke has the most affordable homes ($143k median).

Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

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	Pembroke	Hope
People
Population	801Lowest	1,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.6±4.6Highest 11% above ME	44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average
	Pembroke and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Hope and Pembroke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	32.5%±4.3Highest ME: 22.4%	21.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32%Lowest ME: 36.2%	47.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.9%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,132±$8kLowest 20% below ME	$86,766±$6kHighest 16% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$142,800±$25kLowest 52% below ME	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$881±$333Lowest 23% below ME	$1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME
	Hope and Pembroke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,966Lowest 35% below ME	$3,842Highest 27% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.6%±45Highest ME: 48.4%	37.8%±38.7Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Pembroke and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.5%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 41% above ME	20 minLowest 19% below ME
Work from home	5.6%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Hope and Pembroke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Pembroke Public Schools	Hope Public Schools
High school in town	None 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.