What stands out worked out from the figures below

Roque Bluffs has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Amherst has the most affordable homes ($210k 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	Roque Bluffs	Amherst
People
Population	369Lowest	424Highest
Median age	51.1±13.4Highest 14% above ME	50.9±9.9Lowest 14% above ME
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.1%±9.5Highest ME: 18.1%	19.3%±8.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.3%±9.5Highest ME: 22.4%	24.3%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.1%Highest ME: 36.2%	31.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±2Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.8%±2.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Amherst and Roque Bluffs are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,375±$34kHighest 20% above ME	$72,656±$12kLowest about the ME average
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$290,300±$59kHighest about the ME average	$210,200±$38kLowest 29% below ME
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$950±$515 17% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,859Highest 39% below ME	$1,527Lowest 50% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	80%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	50%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	96.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 32% below ME	27 minHighest 11% above ME
Work from home	13.9%±8.6Highest ME: 15.9%	11%±5.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Roque Bluffs and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.