What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rye has the most people working from home (30.9%).

Thomaston has the most affordable homes ($272k 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	Rye	Thomaston
People
Population	5,611Highest	2,769Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	55.1±3Lowest 42% above U.S.	58.1±6.6Highest 49% above U.S.
	Thomaston and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Thomaston and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.7%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	35.5%±8.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thomaston and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Rye and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$140,655±$39kHighest 74% above U.S.	$56,435±$13kLowest 30% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,028,100±$89kHighest 209% above U.S.	$271,700±$10kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,781±$156Highest 26% above U.S.	$1,262±$343Lowest 11% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,519Highest 141% above U.S.	$4,487Lowest 44% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.3%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	60.5%±23.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 9% above U.S.	14 minLowest 48% below U.S.
Work from home	30.9%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	4.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#2 of 120 in NH	#99 of 133 in ME
School district	Rye School District	RSU 13
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.