What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rochester has the most affordable homes ($279k median).

Saco has the most people working from home (19%).

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	Rochester	Saco
People
Population	33,144Highest	20,819Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±1.8Lowest 11% above U.S.	44.9±1.5Highest 15% above U.S.
	Saco and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 22%	16.7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Rochester and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Rochester and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Saco and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,836±$3kLowest about the U.S. average	$92,241±$11kHighest 14% above U.S.
	Saco and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$279,100±$10kLowest 16% below U.S.	$413,100±$17kHighest 24% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,369±$72Highest 3% below U.S.	$1,249±$385Lowest 12% below U.S.
	Rochester and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,334Highest 71% above U.S.	$4,807Lowest 54% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.3%±7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.3%±14Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Saco and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	72.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	11.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#98 of 120 in NH	#38 of 133 in ME
School district	Rochester School District	Saco Public Schools
High school in town	Spaulding High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	13.2	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.